UNGA 2026: Iran Vows Never To ‘Bend At The Knee’

​NEW YORK — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a fiery wartime address at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, firing back at Washington just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.

​Taking the podium under heavy security, Pezeshkian held up photographs of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian schoolchildren killed during the opening days of the ongoing conflict. He fiercely accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating “cowardly attacks” and labeled the assassination of Khamenei an act of state terrorism.

​”Mr. Trump must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, and bullying. Yes, they did hit us, but we will never bow our heads or bend at the knee,” Pezeshkian declared.

​The high-stakes diplomatic showdown unfolds against the backdrop of a grinding conflict that has disrupted global energy markets. Tensions in the vital Strait of Hormuz—where intermittent blockades have choked commercial shipping and spiked international fuel prices—remain a central flashpoint. Pezeshkian defended Tehran’s posture in the crucial waterway, stating that Iran will not permit hostile nations to leverage the channel for military aggression while demanding unhindered passage.

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​The speech came despite initial uncertainty over whether Washington would grant Pezeshkian a visa to enter Manhattan. While the U.S. ultimately cleared the Iranian leader, several members of his accompanying delegation were denied entry permits.

​The fiery exchanges underscore the deep chasm remaining between the two adversaries, even as back-channel communications persist on the sidelines of the UN summit to avert a broader economic and military escalation.