Iran president: We have been "victims of terrorism"

Iran president accuses U.S. of terrorism in response to Trump

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Iran president: We have been "victims of terrorism"

* Josephine Walker

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!President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian holds up a poster of a girl's school that was attacked while addressing the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters on September 23, 2026 in New York City.

*Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds up a poster of a girl's school that was attacked while addressing the U.N. on September 23, 2026. Photo: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images.*

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian forcefully rejected President Trump's portrayal of Iran as a source of terrorism at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, insisting instead that Iranians are "victims of terrorism."

**Why it matters:** Pezeshkian used one of the world's biggest diplomatic stages to directly challenge Trump on U.S. soil — as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran rages on.

**What he's saying:** "The United States president described us as terrorists," Pezeshkian said in a roughly 18-minute speech.

* "We have been the victims of terrorism… Those who are terrorists and train and protect terrorists describe us as such. We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists."

* "Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country, and we defended ourselves with utmost strength," he said.
* "We live in a world in which the powerful, instead of thinking about humanity, justice, fairness, and democracy, they seem to be the protectors and creators of instability and destruction."

**Zoom in:** Pezeshkian cited attacks that he blamed on the U.S., including strikes that killed children.

* He pointed to the deaths of more than 150 Iranians at an elementary school in Minab, including more than 120 children.
* A recent UN report found "reasonable grounds to believe" the U.S. committed a war crime in the strike.
* While the U.S. has not released findings of an investigation related to the attack, the AP has found evidence that at least one U.S. missile struck the school.
* Pezeshkian also mentioned the alleged deaths of children playing at a sports hall and an adjacent school after they were struck by a U.S.-made ballistic missile.

**Between the lines:** The same UN report found that Iran's crackdown on protesters likely constituted "crimes against humanity."

* The report cited tactics including "murder, imprisonment, torture and other inhumane acts" as "part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians."

**What to watch:** U.S. and Iranian officials held three hours of indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN on Tuesday, with Trump calling the meeting "very productive" and suggestions a deal remains possible.

* Iran has downplayed the breakthrough, saying its negotiating position has not changed — underscoring how far apart the two sides remain even as diplomacy continues.

**Go deeper:** UN report: U.S. may have committed war crimes in Iran

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