Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the nation will never "bow our head or bend at the knee," vowing to resist U.S. sanctions and military pressure after President Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" the country if a peace deal isn't reached.
Pezeshkian spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 23, a day after Trump told the U.N. he was weighing a "big decision" on whether to escalate military attacks on Iran as the war nears the seven-month mark and the two sides continue to jockey over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route.
"Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness?" Trump said, before adding: "I believe we'll make a deal right after the election because
it doesn't make sense for them not to."
Pezeshkian was defiant in the face of what he called "bullying" by Trump, while saying Tehran is open to negotiations.
"He must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying," Pezeshkian said of Trump. "We will never bow our head or bend at the knee. Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force."
Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate the U.S. military campaign against Iran as the conflict wears on, while also expressing optimism that a new peace deal can be reached after a previous agreement fell apart amid the ongoing battle for control of the strait. U.S. and Iranian negotiators met for three hours Sept. 22 on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering.
Trump told reporters that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had a “very good meeting” with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Witkoff said in a post on X that he hopes the talks “will prove constructive and promising.”
During his speech, Pezeshkian held up a photo of children killed in a U.S. strike on an Iranian primary school at the start of the war.
The Pentagon has yet to release the findings of an investigation into the Feb. 28 airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school. At least 168 people died in the attack, the vast majority of them children, according to Iranian state media.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iranian leader vows not to 'bend at the knee' after Trump threat
