Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant UN General Assembly speech branding the United States a 'bully,' while insisting Tehran remains ready for dialogue and negotiations 'but without the language of force.'
Key facts
- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September 2026.
- It was his first such speech since the US and Israel launched an all-out war on Iran.
- Pezeshkian described America as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East.
- He said Iran is 'ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations but without the language of force.'
- He repeatedly vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to America.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, used his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to hit back at US President Donald Trump, describing America as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East, according to the Guardian.
The speech, delivered on 23 September 2026, was Pezeshkian’s first at the General Assembly since the US and Israel launched an all-out war on Iran. The Guardian described his remarks as defiant.
Despite the pointed criticism, Pezeshkian signalled that Tehran remained open to engagement. He said Iran is ‘ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations but without the language of force,’ the Guardian reported.
Pezeshkian also insisted that Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table, framing his country as willing to talk on its own terms rather than under pressure.
At the same time, he repeatedly vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to America, according to the Guardian, underscoring a message that combined confrontation with a conditional offer of diplomacy.
Why it matters
Pezeshkian's speech comes after the US and Israel launched war on Iran, making his tone at the UN a closely watched signal of whether the conflict could ease or escalate. His mix of harsh rhetoric and openness to negotiations suggests a narrow path toward diplomacy remains, but only on Tehran's stated conditions.
Frequently asked questions
What did Iran's president say about the United States at the UN?
According to the Guardian, Masoud Pezeshkian described America as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East and vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to America.
Did Iran signal any willingness to negotiate?
Yes. Pezeshkian said Iran is 'ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations but without the language of force,' and insisted Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table.
Why was this speech significant?
The Guardian reported it was Pezeshkian's first UN General Assembly speech since the US and Israel launched an all-out war on Iran.