Iran's President Rejects Trump Threats, Opens Door to Diplomacy

BBC reported on September 24 that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the 81st UN General Assembly in New York that Iran will never "surrender" after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy the Islamic Republic if no agreement is reached soon. The conflict involving the US and Israel began in February and has lasted nearly seven months.

Pezeshkian said Iran is prepared to seek a diplomatic solution to the dispute. He stated that Iranian resistance will only strengthen when facing sanctions, increased pressure, and escalating persecution.

Pezeshkian insisted that any agreement with the US must include an end to American shipping blockades that prevent Iranian vessels from using critical Persian Gulf shipping lanes.

"How is it possible that all parties benefit from the Strait of Hormuz while Iran is prevented from using that shipping route?" Pezeshkian asked. The US delegation had already walked out at the start of his address, and no American response has been issued.

Pezeshkian accused the US president of labeling Iran as terrorists. "The US president calls us terrorists, but in reality we are the victims of terrorism," he said, holding up a photograph of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on his residence during a joint US-Israeli attack in late February.

Pezeshkian also displayed photographs of civilians, part of a group of over 175 deaths, with Iranian officials stating that two-thirds were children killed in missile strikes on an elementary school in Minab and a sports center in Larmerd. The US has denied attacking Larmerd, and the incident remains under investigation.

"Our innocent people have been targeted by attacks and aggression against our country, and we defend ourselves with all our might," Pezeshkian emphasized.