Iran President Defies Trump, Vows Tehran Will ‘Never Bow Our Head Or Bend The Knee’
Iran President Defies Trump, Vows Tehran Will ‘Never Bow Our Head Or Bend The Knee’
The Iranian president also rejected accusations that Tehran started the war, saying Iran had acted in self-defence after what he described as attacks by the United States and Israel.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected pressure from the United States, telling President Donald Trump that Tehran will not surrender despite sanctions, military attacks and threats against the country.
According to Arab News, Pezeshkian made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, in his first appearance at the UN since the United States and Israel launched an all-out war against Iran.
Pezeshkian accused the United States of terrorism over the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the beginning of the war. He displayed photographs of Khamenei and more than 150 Iranian schoolchildren he said were killed during the first days of the conflict.
“Trump must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head or bend at the knee,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian president also rejected accusations that Tehran started the war, saying Iran had acted in self-defence after what he described as attacks by the United States and Israel.
“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said, adding that Iranian civilians had been targeted in attacks against the country.
Pezeshkian also warned that Iran would not allow the Strait of Hormuz to be used against the country. The strategically important waterway has been intermittently blocked since the conflict began, a development that has contributed to higher global energy prices.
“We cannot let some have free access and bolster their interests from the waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggression upon us,” he said.
His remarks came a day after Trump told the UN that he was considering whether to “annihilate” Iran, while also saying that renewed discussions between US and Iranian negotiators had taken place.
Pezeshkian did not address those reported negotiations in his UN speech, instead focusing on Iran’s resistance to US pressure and its position on the ongoing conflict.
The Iranian president’s attendance at the UN General Assembly had earlier been uncertain because Washington had not initially made clear whether he would receive a visa. The United States eventually granted him entry but denied visas to several members of his delegation.
The latest confrontation comes as the war continues to affect regional security and global energy markets, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major point of concern because of its importance to international oil and fuel supplies.
