US walks out of UN General Assembly as Iranian president decries ‘genocide’ and ‘terrorism’ against Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran is casting itself as an unwilling martyr against the “chaos of power” playing out in the Middle East, warning President Donald Trump that it will “never bend the knee.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian opened his address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday with a series of photos showing children killed by bombings in Operation Epic Fury. He declared his nation a “victim of terrorism” that has “committed no crimes.”

“Iran has never, ever been an aggressor, has never started a war, and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table,” the Iranian leader said in comments directed at the United States, a country he said “imposed the war on us.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds up a photograph as he delivers remarks at the U.N. Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

He continued: “We will stand in defense of our beloved Iran, our homeland, until our last breath.”

The single diplomat representing the U.S. in attendance for the speech got up and left during Pezeshkian’s comments, mirroring Iran’s walkout during Trump’s address on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian additionally took aim at Israel, decrying the widely accepted intelligence assessments that the Jewish state maintains a nuclear arsenal despite not having signed on to international treaties to limit proliferation.

“Atomic and nuclear bombs are in the hands of the Israeli regime, but the inspectors are requested to come to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, decrying that Jerusalem has “never allowed a single inspection.”

Israel maintains a position of “nuclear ambiguity,” and the government will not confirm nor deny its possession of nuclear weapons. However, intelligence evaluations and comments from Israeli officials suggest that it maintains a sizable stockpile.

“We must apply a single standard for all,” Pezeshkian continued, asserting that Tehran is interested only in nuclear energy and not weapons. “Iran does not seek special treatment; we seek equal rights.”

Israel boycotted the Iranian speech, and its delegation was not present.

He also addressed the conflict in Gaza, positioning his nation as a key ally of the Palestinians and saying that their plight has “strengthened the people’s faith in resistance” despite “widespread killing and devastation.”

“Palestine remains an open wound on the conscience of the international community,” he said. “Our regional issues must be resolved in the region — at the hands of the countries in the region — without [becoming] a toy in the hands of outside aggressors.”

Pezeshkian speaks at the U.N. General Assembly. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

“We will never bow our heads or bend our knees,” he concluded. “We are ready for dialogue, diplomacy, and negotiations but will never accept the language of force.”

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Trump devoted a large portion of his own speech to the Iran conflict, musing over whether Tehran will make a deal or if he will be forced to “drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness for generations.”

“I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” Trump speculated. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”

Both Trump and Pezeshkian have voiced willingness to meet while the Iranian president is in the U.S., but no specifics have materialized.

White House negotiators convened with Iranian counterparts on the sidelines of the assembly on Tuesday in a “meeting that lasted for three hours,” according to the president. Special envoy Steve Witkoff said only that the meeting was “very good.”

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