SanctionsMiddle East Eye
Watch: Pezeshkian says Iran would not ‘bend the knee’ to US threats in UN speech
Mera Aladam9/24/2026

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that Tehran will never "bow its head" to US threats but is open to diplomacy, a day after President Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic. Addressing Trump directly, Pezeshkian said the US leader "must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying. We will never bow our head[s] or bend at the knee".
© Middle East Eye — excerpt. Originally published by Middle East Eye. View the original ↗
Related coverage
SanctionsUS drafted a memo condemning UK, France and Canada over settlement sanctions: ReportSanctionsBessent wonders how Iran's delegation would return home, as US tightens sanctions targeting Tehran's airline operationsSanctionsSpain's prime minister slams Israel’s genocide in Gaza during UN speechSanctionsCanada sanctions ten Iranian individuals and entities