Iran Will Not Bend Knee: Pezeshkian Defies Trump In UN Speech As Hormuz Ship Is Hit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of attacking Iran and said his country would not surrender, in a wartime address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, as Iran and the US remained divided over efforts to end their seven-month war.

Pezeshkian’s speech came as his government played down recent indirect talks with Washington, while another vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile. The developments came as contact resumed while shipping through the waterway remained severely disrupted.

Pezeshkian calls US attacks ‘cowardly’

Pezeshkian told the General Assembly that Iranians had been the “victims of terrorism” and rejected accusations that Tehran was responsible for terrorism.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country.”

During the speech, Pezeshkian displayed an image of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and photographs of more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days of the conflict, according to the Associated Press.

“Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee,” he said.

The remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, when he defended the US military campaign against Iran and said the US had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump also warned that the US could “annihilate” Iran if no deal was reached.

The US delegation left the chamber as Pezeshkian began speaking, Reuters reported. Tehran has said it remains open to diplomacy but rejects negotiations under military pressure.

Tehran downplays US talks

The speech came after indirect discussions between Iranian and US officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was maintaining its negotiating position, including demands that Washington end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets. He described the latest talks as “not anything new”, according to AP.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran and Washington remained far apart on how to end the war, although diplomacy was continuing. Iran has also said it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington eases military pressure and lifts its blockade.

Vessel hit in Strait of Hormuz

The diplomatic exchanges came as commercial shipping remained under pressure in the Strait of Hormuz.

AP reported that another ship attempting to transit the waterway was struck by a projectile. The incident came amid a sharp decline in commercial traffic through the strait since the war began.

Reuters reported that only two commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, compared with a pre-war average of about 125 large commercial vessels a day. The figures may not include vessels that have switched off their tracking systems.

About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway before the war, according to Reuters.

Tehran has continued to reject talks under military pressure, while Washington has pushed for a settlement. The two sides remain far apart, although diplomatic efforts are continuing.