Iran’s President Tells U.N. We Have Been ‘Victims Of Terrorism’

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran’s president mentioned Wednesday that his folks have been “victims of terrorism” by the United States, delivering a uncommon wartime speech on the U.N. General Assembly a day after President Donald Trump said he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached quickly to finish the nearly seven-month war.

The defiant speech by President Masoud Pezeshkian marked a putting occasion of a overseas chief addressing the international stage physique whereas their nation is at conflict with the host nation. While defending his nation, Pezeshkian held up massive pictures of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the greater than 150 Iranian schoolchildren killed on the primary days of the conflict.

“We have solely defended ourselves. We usually are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian mentioned on the General Assembly. “Our harmless folks have been the targets of cowardly assaults and aggressions imposed upon our nation. And we defended ourselves with utmost power. America and Israel attacked us.”

He added of the United States: “Yes they did hit us, however we didn’t bend the knee.” Toward the top of his speech, Pezeshkian referred to as out Trump by title.

“It should be understood by Mr. Trump and people who search to bully us that we’re prepared for dialogue and statecraft and negotiations with out accepting the language of pressure,” he mentioned.

Shortly after, each U.S. and Israeli officers blasted the speech, saying that it was hypocritical for the Islamic Republic to current itself because the victims of the international stage.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters: “I don’t know what standing Iran has to lecture anybody on human rights or the overseas system after they habitually violate it.”

Arriving in New York below heavy safety and scrutiny, Pezeshkian — who, inside Iran’s political panorama, is taken into account a reasonable politician — addressed international stage leaders a day after Trump used the identical stage to mull whether or not to massively escalate a conflict that has already spiraled uncontrolled.

“I’ve an enormous resolution to make,” Trump mentioned in his wide-ranging handle Tuesday. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far higher nation than it ever was earlier than, perhaps one of many biggest within the Middle East and even the international stage. Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it shortly, by no means giving them an opportunity to kill and destroy folks and nations once more?”

Hours after these beautiful threats, Trump informed reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met for about three hours with the Iranian officers on the sidelines of the annual gathering. But he provided few particulars about how the discussions transpired or the substance of the alternate.

“It was an excellent assembly,” Trump mentioned. The president later added that the Iranian officers had been “not the very best degree, nevertheless it’s one thing.” Also on Tuesday, Rubio mentioned Trump is open to assembly with Pezeshkian whereas he’s in New York.

But Tehran downplayed Tuesday’s unscheduled alternate, which had been the primary oblique talks between U.S. and Iranian officers since a June ceasefire unraveled. Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, maintained the nation’s negotiating place in talks with U.S. officers, demanding that Washington finish its blockade of Iranian ports and launch frozen Iranian property,

Baghaei mentioned the talks — carried out not directly by way of Qatari mediators — had been “not something new.”

Rubio echoed that sentiment Wednesday, saying that “it was a continuation of conversations which have occurred previously.”

“If there’s a possibility to alternate concepts and messages, we’ll. And that’s what largely yesterday was — it was constructive in that regard,” he mentioned. “But finally, I don’t need to mischaracterize this as a serious breakthrough.”

Pezeshkian’s handle elaborated on the place Tehran stands as greater than a 12 months of start-stop negotiations between the 2 longtime adversaries have failed to provide a sustainable answer. His speech got here as intermittent assaults continued within the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, the place business delivery remained beneath prewar ranges.

His handle final 12 months got here months after the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict that noticed the assassination of lots of the Islamic Republic’s highest navy and political leaders and as soon as once more broke down weeks of negotiations with the United States.

“Ladies and gents, you all bore witness that this previous June, my nation was subjected to a savage aggression and flagrant contravention of essentially the most elementary ideas of overseas legislation,” Pezeshkian mentioned on the time.

Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in New York contributed to this story.