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'Victims of terrorism': Iran's president tells UN 'we will never bow' to US

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Cite

Ryan, B. (2026, September 23). 'Victims of terrorism': Iran's president tells UN 'we will never bow' to US. ABC News (AU). https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-24/iranian-president-masoud-pezeshkian-speaks-at-united-nations/107188962

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (AU) · collected 2026-09-23 · by Brad Ryan

Quick Summary

Iran's president addressed the UN General Assembly in New York while his country is at war with the United States, declaring Iran a "victim of terrorism" and vowing never to submit to U.S. or Israeli pressure. He emphasized Iran’s readiness for dialogue without accepting forceful language, highlighting that Tehran would endure rather than surrender. The speech came as both countries suggested some level of negotiation may be underway despite the ongoing conflict.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of September 2026, President Donald Trump told reporters that the U.S. is "hopefully toward the end" of its ongoing war with Iran, which began on February 28 and has lasted for seven months. Despite this hopeful statement, there are no clear timelines or significant de-escalation efforts in sight. The conflict continues to disrupt global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up oil prices to over $108 per barrel. Additionally, Iran's foreign minister is under pressure from China and international concerns to reopen the strait and return to a previous interim peace deal with the U.S.

Meanwhile, tensions have escalated beyond Iran into Yemen, where Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, pose significant threats near the Red Sea, complicating efforts at regional stability. The conflict has also drawn in other nations such as Saudi Arabia, which is offering extra crude oil through Oman to ease supply disruptions and stabilize oil prices.

At the United Nations General Assembly, Trump further alarmed global leaders by threatening to "annihilate" Iran if necessary, raising concerns about the potential for catastrophic outcomes involving nuclear weapons. This rhetoric contrasts sharply with past U.S. presidents who emphasized caution regarding such extreme measures. Despite these challenges, there is an urgent need for multilateral solutions and effective engagement through international bodies like the UN to address ongoing conflicts and crises around the world.

Written for “Trump's UN Speech Controversies” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 206 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump's UN Speech Controversies
Politics · 207 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Independent
Hedges 3 of 26 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 4 of 34 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 3 of 36 claims Outlet record 61/100
Fox News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 35 claims Outlet record 69/100
NBC News
Hedges 4 of 37 claims Outlet record 60/100
NPR
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 60/100
Euronews
Hedges 0 of 29 claims Outlet record 60/100
Global News
Hedges 1 of 31 claims Outlet record 63/100
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 46 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different speeches by Trump and Iran's president at separate times during the UN General Assembly.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
27
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
3 of 27 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
207
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (AU) · 4535 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Brad Ryan
11 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 New York's attorney general says the case will be reinvestigated and prosecutions may be pursued.
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🔮 Senator Farrell floated the idea, which could see Australians' superannuation savings invested in the American sector, during this week's G20 trade meetings in Milwaukee.
🔮 He said his country had been "victims of terrorism" and would never "bend at the knee" in response to US-Israeli attacks or economic pressure.
🔮 Mr Trump sharply smacked down that proposal during his speech today, saying the US would not "stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the industrial revolution". British Prime Minister Andy Burnham picked up on the comparison in his own speech, noting that the industrial revolution "brought huge suffering and exploitation" for workers.
🔮 "Too much bureaucratic, you know, sticking points, not enough money, not enough political will.
🔮 Senator Sanders will introduce a bill that would pause advanced AI development, but similar attempts to legislate have stalled in Congress in recent years.
🔮 He suggested regulating AI would only help China get ahead of the US, and he criticised Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI giant Anthropic who published an essay about AI's dangers over the weekend.
Also by Brad Ryan
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 11 articles by Brad Ryan →

Topics

Iran Iranian New York Qatari the US Secret Service

Subjects

Iran GPE · 13× Pezeshkian PERSON · 5× Iranian NORP · 4× New York GPE · 4× Trump ORG · 3× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× Qatari NORP · 2× the US Secret Service ORG · 2× Israeli NORP · 1× the Islamic Republic GPE · 1×

Narrative

"But what happens in the corridors of the UN this week, in direct and indirect talks, matters more than what either side says at the podium." Any deal will take work over time: Rubio Despite the defiant speeches from both Mr Pezeshkian and Mr Trump, Iran's presence at summit appears to have opened the door to the resumption of some degree of negotiation, though there is no evidence of movement towards a breakthrough.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
🔮 He said his country had been "victims of terrorism" and would never "bend at the knee" in response to US-Israeli attacks or economic pressure.
2026-09-23 · ABC News (AU)
'Victims of terrorism': Iran's president tells UN 'we will never bow' to US · assertive framing

Claims (27 extracted, 3 hedged)

In short: Under protection of the US Secret Service, Iran's president has become the first world leader to address the UN in New York while his country is at war with the US. asserted
country → become → US
He said his country had been "victims of terrorism" and would never "bend at the knee" in response to US-Israeli attacks or economic pressure. asserted
country → say → attacks
Iran says it has exchanged messages with US officials via Qatari mediators, but has not confirmed US President Donald Trump's claim they held a meeting on the summit's sidelines. uncertain
they → say → sidelines
Iran's president has delivered an unyielding speech at the UN, describing his country as a "victim of terrorism" and declaring it will never surrender to US and Israeli aggression. asserted
it → deliver → aggression
A day after US President Donald Trump suggested he could "annihilate" the Islamic Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian appeared in person at the UN's New York headquarters. uncertain
Pezeshkian → suggest → headquarters
He has been afforded the protection of the US Secret Service, as is protocol for visiting leaders, and is believed to be the first world leader to address the UN assembly while at war with the host country. asserted
protocol → afford → country
"Yesterday, the United States' president described us as terrorists," Mr Pezeshkian said, according to a live translation. uncertain
Pezeshkian → describe → translation
"We have been the victims of terrorism." The speech mainly comprised the arguments Iran has been putting forward publicly since the outbreak of war almost seven months ago: that Iran's nuclear research was for peaceful purposes, it would not accept limits on its nuclear program, and it would not succumb to military or economic pressure. asserted
it → comprise → pressure
The only delegate in the US's seats in the assembly hall walked out as Mr Pezeshkian spoke. asserted
Pezeshkian → walk → hall
"We will never bow or head our bend at the knee," Mr Pezeshkian said. asserted
Pezeshkian → bow → 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." The speech was a "reminder that the US military and economic pressure on Iran can create leverage but don't necessarily produce capitulation", said Ali Vaez, an Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. asserted
Vaez → understand → Group
"As long as there's a leadership in Tehran that believes its survival to be at stake, it'll opt for endurance rather than surrender," he said. asserted
he → be → endurance
"But what happens in the corridors of the UN this week, in direct and indirect talks, matters more than what either side says at the podium." Any deal will take work over time: Rubio Despite the defiant speeches from both Mr Pezeshkian and Mr Trump, Iran's presence at summit appears to have opened the door to the resumption of some degree of negotiation, though there is no evidence of movement towards a breakthrough. asserted
presence → happen → breakthrough
Mr Trump yesterday said US and Iranian officials had held a "very productive meeting" on the sidelines of the summit. asserted
officials → say → summit
In his earlier speech, he predicted a deal would be reached after the midterm elections in November, though his many previous predictions of peace deals have not materialised. asserted
predictions → predict → deals
Today, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on social media that messages had been exchanged with the US via Qatari mediators. asserted
messages → say → mediators
He said Iran had reiterated to the US that diplomacy would only be revived if the US met its conditions, including ending the war, ceasing its naval blockade and releasing frozen assets. asserted
US → say → assets
Reuters, citing Iranian sources, reported that Iran's Supreme National Security Council had ordered the travelling delegation not meet the Americans face-to-face in New York. asserted
delegation → cite → York
The council includes Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. asserted
council → include → leader
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New York that any deal with Iran would require "a lot of hard work over a period of time". asserted
deal → tell → time
In his speech, Mr Pezeshkian spoke at length about Iranian casualties of US attacks, holding photos of civilian victims and pointing to the bombing of a school in February. asserted
Pezeshkian → speak → February
A UN-backed fact-finding mission recently concluded there were "reasonable grounds" the US committed a war crime by bombing the school. asserted
US → back → school
The US has not publicly taken responsibility. asserted
US → take → responsibility
Mr Pezeshkian did not attempt to defend the Islamic Regime's well-documented violence towards its own people, including the killing of — by some credible estimates — tens of thousands of protesters earlier this year. asserted
Pezeshkian → attempt → protesters
He said Iran posed no threat to neighbouring countries, but did not mention Iran-backed militant groups elsewhere in the Middle East. asserted
Iran → say → East
"Iran has never, ever been an aggressor, has never started a war and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table," he said. asserted
he → start → table
"They imposed the war on us, but we have proven that we are not afraid of fighting a war that is defensive in nature and we will stand in defence of our beloved Iran, our homeland, until our last breath." asserted
we → impose → breath
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