Iran's president tells UN his country is 'victim' of US 'terrorism'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, delivering his first public remarks since the United States and Israel launched a military conflict against his country. In his speech, he described Iran as a victim of US 'terrorism'.

Pezeshkian's address came one day after US President Donald Trump used the same UN platform to warn he could 'annihilate the Islamic Republic' and 'drive them into hell' if Tehran and Washington fail to reach a peace deal. Trump nonetheless said he expected an agreement to be reached following the upcoming US midterm elections.

Other developments at the UN General Assembly

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that humanity risks increasingly ceding decision-making power to machines as artificial intelligence advances at breakneck speed.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the devastated Gaza Strip, calling it 'a spectacle that shames us all'.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the situation between the two countries.

Tensions between Iran and Western powers remain high, with the UN podium becoming a stage for both sides to trade sharp public statements about the origins of the conflict and its possible next steps.