Iftikhar Ali UNITED NATIONS, Sep 23 (APP):Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that the Islamic Republic will stoutly defend its sovereignty and that "we will never bow our head" to pressure from the United States and Israel. He told world leaders that the Iranian people are the "victims of terrorism", and will never capitulate to foreign military …
Iran’s president says ‘we will never bow our head’ to US in defiant UN speech
Iftikhar Ali
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 23 (APP):Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that the Islamic Republic will stoutly defend its sovereignty and that “we will never bow our head” to pressure from the United States and Israel.
He told world leaders that the Iranian people are the “victims of terrorism”, and will never capitulate to foreign military pressure.
The address came just 24 hours after U.S. President Donald Trump used the same podium to threaten to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached to end their seven-month conflict.
“Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee,” the Iranian leader said, emphasizing that Iran has only ever defended its sovereignty.
The speech took place amid a flurry of diplomatic positioning in New York, following an indirect three-hour meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials mediated by Qatari and Pakistani officials. But President Pezeshkian gave no hint of the progress in those negotiations.
Holding up photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and civilian victims, he emphasized that expecting an unconditional surrender from Iran is an illusion.
The address prompted a walkout by the lone U.S. delegation member present in the Assembly hall as the Iranian president detailed civilian casualties, especially those of children.
Pezeshkian adamantly rejected accusations of state-sponsored terrorism, saying Iran’s military actions have been purely retaliatory, framing his nation’s stance as legitimate self-defense against “cowardly attacks” on civilian infrastructure, schools, and hospitals.
The President targeted joint U.S.-Israeli military actions, warning that if the international community fails to push back against American aggression, “its flames will burn many”.
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.
Turning to Iran’s nuclear programme, he said peaceful nuclear technology was part of the country’s development, and his country would not accept such technology remaining exclusively in the hands of a few countries.
“We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours,” he said, adding: “No nuclear weapons and no limitations to new peaceful nuclear technology.”
On Palestine, he described it as “an open wound on the conscience of the international community”, underscoring that “Gaza remains a simple of the failure of international mechanisms to prevent civilian suffering”.
As long as occupation, aggression and injustice persisted, resistance would continue, he said, adding that it “cannot be destroyed by bombs and siege”.
Addressing what he described as double standards, he contrasted scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear activities with Israel’s nuclear capabilities and actions in Gaza, noting that Iran had been attacked while at the negotiating table and remained subject to sanctions.
“Israel kills but Iran is subject to sanctions – this is a true tragedy which would make anyone hearing it laugh,” he stated.
