Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected US President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, declaring at the United Nations that Iran will not surrender to pressure but remains open to diplomacy.
Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said increased sanctions, military pressure and threats would only strengthen Iran’s resolve.
“We will never bow our head or bend the knee,” he said, while describing Trump’s warning as evidence of what he called a “bullying mentality.”
Trump had told the General Assembly a day earlier that he faced a choice between reaching a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild or “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if an agreement could not be reached.
Despite his defiant message, Pezeshkian said Tehran remained ready for dialogue and negotiations, but rejected talks conducted under the threat of force.
“We are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force,” he said.
The Iranian president also made the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz a key part of Tehran’s position, saying Iran could not accept being denied access to a waterway through which other countries benefit from shipping.
The standoff over the strategic waterway has disrupted commercial shipping and contributed to wider concerns over global energy supplies.
On the nuclear issue, Pezeshkian said Iran would not accept restrictions on peaceful nuclear technology, while maintaining that Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons.
He also rejected Trump’s description of Iran as a terrorist state, saying Iranians had themselves been victims of terrorism. During his address, he displayed photographs of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and children killed during the conflict.
The US delegation walked out as Pezeshkian began his speech. Washington did not immediately issue a response during the address.
Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran have resumed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held indirect talks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with Qatar acting as mediator.
Witkoff described the discussions as potentially constructive, while Tehran said the talks had not changed its position and continued to demand an end to the blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
The latest exchange leaves the US-Iran confrontation at a delicate point: Tehran is refusing to surrender under pressure while keeping the door open to negotiations, even as the conflict continues to affect shipping, energy markets and regional security.
Pezeshkian’s message to Washington was therefore both defiant and diplomatic — Iran will not “bend the knee”, but it remains prepared to talk without the language of force.
