Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian launched a broad attack on Israel and the United States during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, accusing the two countries of terrorism and aggression while insisting that Iran's military buildup is intended solely for self-defense.
The American delegation walked out of the General Assembly hall during Pezeshkian's speech, one day after most members of the Iranian delegation walked out during US President Donald Trump's address as he discussed Iran and threatened further action against the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian opened his speech by responding directly to Trump's remarks at the General Assembly a day earlier, in which the US president sharply criticized Iran.
"The United States President described us as terrorists," Pezeshkian said. "We have been the victims of terrorism."
The Iranian president displayed images of Iranian children whom he said had been killed in American and Israeli attacks and accused the United States of striking a sports hall in the Iranian city of Lamerd.
"Those who are terrorists and train and protect terrorists describe us as such," Pezeshkian charged. "We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists."
He went on to accuse the United States and Israel of targeting Iranian universities, medical centers, schools, hospitals and infrastructure, and recalled the assassination of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the day of his inauguration in 2024.
"Israel targets any neighborhood, in any city, in any province, commits assassinations like a true terrorist," he claimed.
Turning to the war in Gaza, Pezeshkian accused Israel of genocide and claimed that more than 80,000 civilians had been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
"Then they label others as terrorists," he said. "Are we the sources of instability?"
Pezeshkian argued that Iran has not attacked another country in two centuries and said Tehran's military capabilities were necessary because countries unable to defend themselves would be "trampled upon in today's world."
"We do not seek power in order to attack or commit aggression," he said.
The Iranian president said Iran would continue strengthening its military and warned that attacks on Iranian territory would receive a response.
"In order to defend our country, we do not seek anyone's permission or approval," Pezeshkian declared. "Our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that bombing of Iranian cities will go unanswered."
Pezeshkian also defended Iran's nuclear program, rejecting restrictions on what Tehran describes as peaceful nuclear development.
"We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours," he said. "We say it clearly: no nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology."
He claimed nuclear technology was essential for Iranian medicine, agriculture, industry and electricity generation, and argued that such technology should not remain "at the exclusive disposal" of a small group of countries.
The Iranian leader also addressed the ongoing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Iran would not accept a situation in which other countries enjoy access to the strategic waterway while Tehran faces restrictions.
"We cannot let some have free access and gain their interest from a waterway while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggressions upon us," he said.
Pezeshkian said Iran seeks strong neighboring countries rather than regional instability, but warned that attempts to pressure Tehran militarily would be resisted.
"The expansion of warfare will not result in security," he said.
Concluding the regional portion of his speech, Pezeshkian turned again to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling Gaza "a symbol of the failure of international mechanisms" and arguing that peace in the Middle East would be impossible without what he described as "justice for Palestine."
"As long as occupation, aggression and injustice persist in the world, resistance will continue," he said.
Pezeshkian claimed that despite the destruction in Gaza, the war had strengthened belief in what he termed "resistance," adding that if it were weakened in one form, it would "re-emerge in others, perhaps stronger still."
Pezeshkian's appearance in New York came amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. The Trump administration granted visas to Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a core Iranian delegation in accordance with Washington's obligations as host of the United Nations, while imposing restrictions on the delegation and denying entry to some additional members.