“We were struck, but we did not bow”: Iranian president defiant at UN as U.S. delegation walks out

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel on Wednesday of launching attacks against Iran, saying his country had refused to “bend the knee” despite the strikes, in an address to the UN General Assembly in New York.

“They struck us, but we did not bend the knee. We did not bow our heads,” Pezeshkian said.

As Pezeshkian began criticizing the United States and Israel, the American diplomat walked out of the General Assembly hall.

Pezeshkian accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Iranian civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools, universities, healthcare centers and hospitals. He also claimed that Iranian scientists, men, women and children had been killed in the attacks.

“I come from an Iran where, in fact, they bombed a school. These children vanished under bombs with weapons used by the United States and Israel,” he said.

Pezeshkian also accused Israel of carrying out assassinations in Iran, referring to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the day of his own inauguration as president.

“When I took on my responsibilities as president, they killed Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on the day of my inauguration,” he said.

He went on to criticize Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, claiming that more than 80,000 civilians had been killed and accusing Israel of committing genocide.

Pezeshkian also rejected accusations that Iran is a source of regional instability or terrorism.

“They label us as terrorists. We do not seek power to attack or to commit aggression. We seek energy for progress, not to threaten societies with weapons. And we wish to cooperate and collaborate for security,” he said.

The Iranian president maintained that Tehran had acted in self-defense and rejected accusations that it had deliberately targeted civilians.