- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that his nation's people have been “victims of terrorism” by the US and Israel in a rare wartime speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
- “We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said in his address Wednesday morning. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”
- He added of the United States: “Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”
- Pezeshkian’s remarks followed US President Donald Trump's warning a day earlier that he could annihilate the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached to end the conflict.
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held three hours of indirect talks with Iranian representatives Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN summit as the two sides work toward a deal to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
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