Pezeshkian says nuclear dispute cannot be settled on the battlefield
The Iranian president tells the UN General Assembly that nuclear technology is part of the country's right to development and that widening the war will not bring security.
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Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, says the nuclear issue cannot be solved on the battlefield. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, he said nuclear technology is part of Iran's right to development and that expanding the war will not bring security. He has said before that Iran needs nuclear energy, not a nuclear bomb.
Pezeshkian also told the assembly that Iran was a victim of terrorism and did not bow its head. A US official walked out during his speech.
The remarks come as Iran's position on wider talks stays firm. Security council secretary Ali Rezaei has said Iran will not negotiate until the United States meets its conditions, and that the Strait of Hormuz stays shut. Iran's security council has tied any reopening of the strait to a deadline of four to five days for Washington. Rezaei has ruled out negotiations even as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff have been discussing terms for reopening it. Araghchi has separately warned European officials against backing US and Israeli actions, calling them war crimes, while the Hormuz talks continue on their own track.
Witkoff has described his talks with Iranian mediators as constructive and promising, on the sidelines of the same UN gathering. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Trump's talk of Iran being annihilated is the language of war. Pezeshkian's statement adds no new negotiating position beyond what he has said before, and it comes as Witkoff reports lengthy talks are underway through mediators. On its own, the rhetoric is neutral for near-term escalation risk.