# Iran's president speaks at U.N. after Trump's threat

> Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the General Assembly a day after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran, holding up portraits of the late supreme leader and bombing victims.
- Title: Iran's president speaks at U.N. after Trump's threat · NPR
- Summary: Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the General Assembly a day after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran, holding up portraits of the late supreme leader and bombing…
- Keywords: masoud pezeshkian, iran, donald trump, united nations general assembly, u.s.-iran war, ayatollah ali khamenei, nuclear programme, diplomacy, news, Iran's, president, speaks
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/23/nx-s1-5978863/iran-president-united-nations-general-assembly
- Published: 2026-09-23T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: masoud pezeshkian, iran, donald trump, united nations general assembly, u.s.-iran war, ayatollah ali khamenei, nuclear programme, diplomacy, news
## Trump threatens Iran from the podium
On Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, President Trump said he faced a choice: make a deal with Iran that lets them rebuild or annihilate the Islamic Republic.

> annihilate the Islamic Republic
## Iran's president responds at the U.N.
On Wednesday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the General Assembly a day after Trump's threat, saying the U.S. had called Iran terrorists when Iran had been the victims of terrorism.

> Yesterday the United States president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism.
## Pezeshkian holds up portraits of the dead
Pezeshkian held up a portrait of the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February twenty-eighth during U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. He then showed photos of children he said were victims of U.S. and Israeli bombings.
## U.S. delegation walks out during speech
As Pezeshkian spoke, the only U.S. delegation representative sitting in the hall walked out. Trump later said U.S. officials had met with Iranians for three hours.
## Iran sets conditions for negotiations
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said an exchange of messages with the U.S. had taken place with Qatar as mediator. Iran's conditions included halting U.S. hostilities, ending the naval blockade of Iranian ports, and releasing Iranian funds.
## Pezeshkian signals openness to talks
Pezeshkian denied Iran wanted nuclear weapons but refused limitations on civilian nuclear programmes. He told Trump that Iran is ready for dialogue and diplomacy without accepting the language of force.

> We are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force
## Key takeaway

Iran's president spoke at the U.N. after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran, defending his country against accusations of terrorism and signalling willingness to negotiate.