Politics
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Iran is not a terrorist state, adding that the United States and Israel attacked Iran and that Iran only defended itself.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Iran is not a terrorist state, adding that the United States and Israel attacked Iran and that Iran only defended itself. He said nuclear energy is part of Iran’s development and is intended for peaceful purposes. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran does not seek to achieve its own security at the expense of the security of others and does not accept a situation in which a few countries maintain a monopoly over nuclear energy. He said Iran cannot allow certain parties to have unrestricted freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or to launch actions against Iran. Following attacks by the United States and Israel, Iran acted in self-defense. He rejected allegations that Tehran is a terrorist state.
The Iranian president said, “They attacked us, but we did not bow our heads. They targeted and attacked us, but we only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists.” Pezeshkian questioned why Iran would come to the United Nations and address the General Assembly if it were a terrorist state. He accused the United States and Israel of violating international law and said Iran responded to the attacks but did not target civilian areas. According to Pezeshkian, Iranian children, scientists and ordinary civilians were targeted, while the United States and Israel also attacked universities and hospitals. “These are the circumstances we are facing, while the United States calls us terrorists.”
The Iranian president also referred to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. He said Israel targeted Haniyeh in Tehran on the day of his presidential inauguration. Pezeshkian said Iran responded to the attacks, but according to him, Iranian operations did not target civilian areas. During his address, the Iranian president also displayed photographs of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and children. He said the Iranian people have been protesting against U.S. and Israeli aggression for seven months. Pezeshkian said, “We do not need anyone’s permission to protect and defend our country.” He added that Iran would not bow to the coercion it is facing.
The Iranian president’s remarks came as tensions between the United States and Iran continue and diplomatic activity intensifies in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that Washington could “completely destroy” Iran if a peace agreement was not reached. Pezeshkian further said, “Israel is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), yet it possesses nuclear weapons. It has killed so many people, but we are the ones facing sanctions.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran values its country and its people, adding that regional problems should be resolved by the countries of the region themselves. He said Iran would never surrender under any circumstances. He said countries in the region should not become pawns in the hands of external aggressors. He accused the United States of obstructing waterways and attacking Iranian vessels. He said Iran had engaged in negotiations several times, but Israel sabotaged them. Despite this, he said, Iran honored the memorandum of understanding. Pezeshkian said Iran was not afraid of a war in which it was defending itself and that the Strait of Hormuz would not remain open for the movement of weapons being used against Iran.
The Iranian president accused Israel of sabotaging peace negotiations, saying that Israel is opposed to peaceful negotiations and does not want peace in the region. He said Iran does not want war but strong neighbors. He said the spread of war would achieve nothing and that no one could create chaos in the region. He added that Iran’s history is known to the world. According to Pezeshkian, Israel carries out killings while sanctions are imposed on Tehran, which he described as a double standard. Pezeshkian said Iran believes in diplomacy and would not bow to pressure from military force. He described the sanctions on Iran as regrettable and said Trump should understand that threats unite the Iranian nation.
