Key facts
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated Iran is ready for dialogue and diplomacy without accepting the language of force.
- Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
- Pezeshkian identified Israel and external powers like the U.S. as sources of instability in the Middle East.
- Iranian and U.S. officials met Tuesday to explore a path for negotiations.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the UN General Assembly, warned Donald Trump that Iran would not "bend at the knee" but emphasized readiness for dialogue and diplomacy. He held up pictures of Iranians killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, including one of Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating that "innocent children whom, in truth, had committed no crimes, no sins" were martyred. During his speech, a U.S. official from the American delegation walked out. Pezeshkian's address also specifically targeted Israel, accusing it of genocide in Gaza and identifying Israel and external powers like the United States as the primary causes of instability in the Middle East. He asserted that Iran must be powerful to avoid threats to its future. The speech's tone, which included a call for diplomacy, echoed a similar sentiment from Trump, who had also expressed belief in a diplomatic resolution. Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian and U.S. officials convened to assess potential avenues for negotiation, though no significant breakthroughs were reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held indirect talks brokered by Qatari mediators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Witkoff said he hoped the discussions would "prove constructive and promising", adding that the mediators would continue their work. But Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said the talks were "not anything new" and that Araghchi had maintained Iran's conditions, including the end of the US blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets.