Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Tehran's right to peaceful nuclear technology at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, rejecting surrender while expressing readiness to negotiate an end to the war with the US. “We will never bow our head or bend at the knee,” he said, adding that Iran was ready for talks “without accepting the language of force.” His address came a day after President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran if no deal was reached.

Pezeshkian said Iran sought nuclear energy, not nuclear weapons, and that the nuclear dispute could not be resolved on the battlefield. He also said Iran could not allow free use of the Strait of Hormuz while under sanctions, or permit the waterway to carry weapons for use against it. A US delegate walked out as his address began.

The speech followed indirect talks between US and Iranian delegations in New York on Tuesday. Trump said the discussions lasted three hours; US envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators shuttled between the two sides and would continue their work. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran conveyed its conditions through a Qatari mediator, including an end to war on all fronts, the naval blockade and economic warfare, as well as the release of Iranian assets.