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‘We did not bend the knee’: At UN, Pezeshkian says Iran and Gaza committed to ‘resistance’
Developing
In Short: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed continued resistance against US pressure and backed Gaza's fight against what he called 'occupation and aggression' during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
Pezeshkian said, 'The resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, pressure, and increased bullying,' in response to US President Donald Trump's characterization of Iran as the 'number one sponsor of terror.
He accused the US of bullying and said, 'The Iranian people will not bow to pressure.' Pezeshkian also criticized Trump's comments, stating, 'Those who are terrorists and train terrorists call us terrorists.
Pezeshkian defended Iran's actions, saying, 'Our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that the bombing of Iranian cities can go unanswered.' He also accused the US of blocking Iranian shipping while bringing missiles to its allies.
During his speech, Pezeshkian addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, stating, 'Resistance will continue' against 'occupation and aggression and injustice.' He added, 'If it is weakened in one form, it will reemerge in others, perhaps stronger still.
Pezeshkian accused Israel of 'committing genocide by using the so-called technologies they have at their disposal, then they label others as terrorists.' Israel denies these accusations and says it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities.
Pezeshkian also addressed the wave of protests in Iran, portraying them as public support for the country and its authorities, not opposition to the government.
He concluded his speech with a direct challenge to Trump, stating, 'He must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, pressure, and bullying.
What this adds
Pezeshkian's speech marked his first appearance at the UN since the outbreak of the ongoing war between Iran and the US, which began in late February with US-Israeli strikes.
What's still developing
- Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday vowed Tehran would continue its “resistance” against pressure and threats by the United States, while also saying Gaza would remain firm against what he called “occupation and aggression and injustice,” in a defiant address to the UN General Assembly.
- The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment “Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump,” Pezeshkian said in reference to the US president.
- Iran is a longtime backer of Hamas, whose onslaught from Gaza into Israel on October 7, 2023, launched the war in the Strip.
- “Atomic and nuclear bombs are in the hands of the Israeli regime, but the inspectors are requested to come to Iran,” he said.
- This year, Iran and its proxies launched repeated missile and drone attacks at almost every Arab country in the Middle East, as well as Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey.
- During Pezeshkian’s speech, the lone US diplomat in the hall walked out.
- Iran has sought to obstruct the strait, a vital pathway for the global energy supply, since the beginning of the war.
- It says it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
- “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee,” Pezeshkian declared, in reference to Israeli-US strikes on Iran.
- For the past two centuries, Iran had not attacked another country or territory, he said, rejecting accusations that it was a source of regional instability.
- “We did not bend the knee; we did not bow our heads. We responded, but we did not hit civilian populations,” he said.
- “The people of Iran, in the past 7 months, have been in the streets every night demonstrating in support of their land, of their homeland, so as to not allow those who were equipped and trained and armed by Israel and America to cause disruption to the security of their country,” he said.