Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told the UN General Assembly that Iran will not yield to pressure from the United States, while saying his government remains prepared to pursue a diplomatic settlement to the conflict.
Pezeshkian’s remarks followed a warning from US President Donald Trump that Iran could be “annihilate[d]” if an agreement was not reached soon. Addressing the assembly after nearly seven months of war involving Iran, the US and Israel, Pezeshkian said Iranian resistance would grow in response to sanctions, pressure and what he described as bullying.
He said Iran would never “bend the knee,” but indicated that diplomacy remained possible if Tehran’s conditions were addressed.
Blockade and Strait of Hormuz central to talks
Pezeshkian said any agreement would need to include the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ships and ports. He argued that Iran should not be denied access to the Strait of Hormuz while other countries benefit from the waterway.
The strait, which normally carries around one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, has effectively been closed since the war began in late February, according to the report. Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels and the US blockade have disrupted access to the route.
The US and Iran reached a preliminary deal in June aimed at ending the war and reopening the strait. However, the agreement fell apart within weeks after attacks on shipping resumed and the US reimposed its blockade.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held indirect discussions in New York, with Qatari mediators facilitating the talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Witkoff said he hoped the first discussions since June would be constructive and promising, and that mediation efforts would continue.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said the discussions did not represent anything new. He said Araghchi had restated Tehran’s demands, including an end to the blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
Source: BBC News
