Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the UN General Assembly, declared that Iran would not "bend the knee" to the United States after nearly seven months of war. He emphasized Iran's readiness for a diplomatic solution but asserted that resistance to US sanctions and pressure would only intensify. Pezeshkian specifically responded to US President Donald Trump's threat to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic, stating that Iran would not surrender but still believes in diplomacy. He also highlighted Iran's defensive military actions and denied pursuing nuclear weapons, emphasizing its right to peaceful nuclear technology.
Pezeshkian underscored Iran's conditions for a deal, which include the immediate end of the US blockade of Iranian ships and ports. He argued that it is unacceptable for others to benefit from the Strait of Hormuz while Iran is denied access to this crucial waterway, which normally facilitates a fifth of global oil and gas shipments. The strait has been effectively closed since late February due to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and the US blockade.
Indirect talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff, brokered by Qatari mediators, occurred on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. These discussions, the first since a preliminary agreement collapsed in June, were described by Witkoff as potentially "constructive and promising." However, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai indicated that Iran maintained its conditions, including the lifting of the US blockade and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Despite the diplomatic contact, hardliners in Iranian media criticized Araghchi's engagement with US officials.
The conflict, launched by Trump in February as "Operation Epic Fury" alongside Israel, has caused thousands of casualties, disrupted global energy supplies, and spread to other regional countries. An interim agreement in June, which would have lifted financial sanctions and unfrozen assets in exchange for nuclear program talks, failed within weeks over shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz. The war has also led to a third of Gulf oil being missing from global supplies, contributing to inflation and higher interest rates. Iran also threatened action against neighboring countries that comply with new US sanctions aimed at grounding Iranian civilian aircraft worldwide, with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stating that Iran would ensure their airports could not function.
