New York
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian devoted significant attention to Israel and what he described as Western double standards. He said that Israel possesses nuclear weapons outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), prevents international inspectors from accessing its facilities, and receives billions of dollars in financial and military support while enjoying complete impunity, whereas Iran faces monitoring, inspections, and sanctions.
Pezeshkian said:
“The atomic bomb is in Israel, but the inspectors are in Iran?!”
, pointing to what he described as international double standards.
He added that Israel, which is not a member of the NPT, possesses weapons of mass destruction and prevents inspectors from accessing them, while Iran maintains what it describes as a peaceful nuclear program and is met with severe sanctions and military operations.
The Iranian president said that Israel and the United States are the primary actors driving the destabilization of the region, stating that
“those who claim to defend human rights in the world describe independent nations as the cause of instability, while they themselves are the principal decision-makers and actors behind assassinations, crimes, and the destruction of security in the region.”
He added:
“Trump said yesterday that we are terrorists. We are not terrorists; we are victims of terrorism. They assassinated our commander for no reason.”
Gaza
On Gaza, Pezeshkian said that
“the brutal killing of more than 80,000 innocent people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands is a clear example of genocide using advanced technologies and a blatant violation of all international laws and frameworks.”
He linked this to Western support for Israel, warning that the continuation of such policies is pushing the world toward a dangerous threshold.
Pezeshkian also said that Israel and the United States had targeted a school in Minab and Lamerd with cluster munitions, resulting in the deaths of children and other civilians. He displayed photographs of children from Minab and victims of what he described as the U.S. attack in Lamerd before the General Assembly, and also raised a photograph of the late leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Pezeshkian stressed that strengthening Iran’s defensive capabilities is the only way to preserve independence and prevent aggression, saying:
“Iran’s defensive capability is solely for deterrence, not aggression, and Iran does not seek permission from any power to defend itself.”
He added that
“Iran will not accept being deprived of peaceful nuclear science,”
and said its position was clear:
“No to nuclear weapons, and no to deprivation of nuclear science.”
He said the issue should be resolved not on the battlefield but through a mutual agreement that guarantees the rights of the Iranian people and the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Pezeshkian emphasized that
“Iran did not start any war and has demonstrated its commitment to diplomacy and the negotiating table, but at the same time, it does not fear any war in defense of the homeland.”
He said rebuilding global trust requires rejecting double standards, arguing that Israel possesses an atomic bomb and escapes accountability, while Iran pays the price through inspections and sanctions.
The Iranian president warned that
“replacing diplomacy with sanctions and assassinations is leading the world down a dangerous path,”
adding that
“Iran is ready for equal dialogue, but under no circumstances will it accept the language of force and threats.”
He also said that recent U.S. threats against Iran clearly contradict the UN Charter, but would not cause the Iranian people to retreat. Instead, he argued, they would strengthen national cohesion and Iran’s ability to confront what he described as violations by aggressors.
Regional Security
On regional security, Pezeshkian said that
“the permanent presence of foreign fleets and the spread of conflicts will not bring security, but will also threaten the security of navigation, because maritime security cannot be separated from the security of coastal states.”
He added that addressing the region’s challenges requires cooperation among neighboring states without intervention by distant powers, and argued that
“strategic independence requires that no state allow its relations with external powers to become a tool of aggression against its neighbors.”
Pezeshkian concluded by stressing that
“the stability of the region is indivisible: either all states build security together, or they all bear the consequences of insecurity.”
He added that
“a sustainable world order can only be built on equality among nations, respect for human dignity, and rejection of unilateralism.”