Iranian President Attacks America from the UN, Holds Up Khamenei's Photo
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian opened his address to the eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly with a striking gesture, holding in his hand a photograph of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Pezeshkian began his speech by displaying an image of Khamenei, a clear reference to Iran’s steadfast stance toward its leadership and its religious and political symbols.
In his speech, Pezeshkian referred to the airstrike that targeted a girls’ school in the city of Minab in southern Iran, stating, “I come from Iran, where a school for these children you see was bombed, and they were killed by American and Israeli weapons. They were innocent and had committed no crime.”
He added, “America and Israel attacked us with the latest technologies and equipment, and our people stood bravely, but we did not submit to them. They attacked our people, but we did not kill anyone. They attacked our schools, hospitals, universities, bridges, and infrastructure, and all of this violates international law.”
He noted that “on the first day he assumed office, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, was assassinated in Tehran.”
Pezeshkian stated, “We have built our defense system so that no one thinks that bombing Iranian cities will go unanswered. We say it frankly: we will not ask anyone’s permission to defend our country.”
He also emphasized, “We want energy for development. For years, people have spoken about Iran’s peaceful program in terms of centrifuges, enrichment, sanctions, and bombs. But for our nation, technology is part of the right to development.”
Pezeshkian clarified that “nuclear technology is a cure, food security for agriculture, and sustainable electricity for the technology sector and for the future. Iran does not accept the monopoly of nuclear knowledge by a few countries, nor does it consider nuclear weapons a factor in security. However, it will not relinquish its right to science, industry, and peaceful energy.”
He said, “We say it clearly: no nuclear weapons, and no deprivation of nuclear knowledge. The Iranian nuclear position will not be settled on the battlefield. The solution lies in an agreement that provides the world with reliable assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, and that guarantees the Iranian people the protection of their rights.”
The current session of the General Assembly is witnessing high-level attendance from world leaders, amid an international atmosphere tense due to ongoing conflicts.
