Masoud Bezhkian Tells UN Iran Needs Peaceful Nuclear Energy, Not a Bomb

UN Speech and Walkout

Iranian President Masoud Bezhkian told the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly that Iran needs peaceful nuclear energy to drive its progress, not to produce a nuclear bomb, and he framed the remarks as a response to Western accusations and pressures. The American delegation withdrew from the hall as Bezhkian began his address, and CNN Arabic described the lone American envoy exiting minutes after Bezhkian opened his remarks. Bezhkian said, "We described the U.S. president as terrorists, while we were victims of terrorism," and he linked that line to his presentation of images tied to the Minab girls’ school massacre.

Bezhkian also used the UN podium to address the Strait of Hormuz, clarifying that "the use of the Strait of Hormuz to transport weapons aimed at Iran or to carry out armed attacks cannot be permitted," and he said widening the scope of war would not achieve any goal. Bezhkian told the room, "We will never bow our head or bend at the knee," as he rejected surrender under military and economic pressure.

Aajil

Sourcesal-Ayyam NewsCNN Arabic

Nuclear Denial and Conditions

Bezhkian told the General Assembly that Iran committed to all international agreements and memoranda of understanding and adopted the path of negotiation and diplomacy, while he stressed Iran’s firm rejection of surrender under military threats, pressure, and foreign evasion of international commitments. Bezhkian lifted a picture of Ali Khamenei at the start of his speech and raised images of children killed in a strike that hit a school in Iran, while the American delegation left the hall as he began to speak. Bezhkian insisted on the nuclear line, saying, "We make it clear: no to nuclear weapons, and no to constraints on peaceful nuclear technology," and he also told the General Assembly that "For our country, peaceful nuclear technology is part of our inherent progress."

Trump told the global body he faced two options, either "eliminate" Iran or reach an agreement, and the Iranian Armed Forces rejected Trump’s threatening UN remarks as "propaganda." Bezhkian reiterated Iran’s position that it does not seek a nuclear weapon but rejects constraints on its pursuit of nuclear technology, and he quoted him saying, "We say it clearly: No nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology."

al-Ayyam News

SourcesAl-WatanBBC

Talks, Straits, and Stakes

Trump announced "very productive" talks between Iranian and American officials in New York after a three-hour meeting that included U.S. special envoys Steven Wintekov and Jared Kushner, and Trump offered few details beyond saying, "It was a good and very productive meeting."

“It was a good and very productive meeting.”

BBC

Iranian media reported that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Wintekov and conveyed Tehran’s terms for reopening the Hormuz Strait, and BBC quoted the television account saying Tehran’s demands include "the immediate lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports."

Bezhkian’s response to Trump’s threats quoted him that Iran must be understood as ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force, and he told the room, "Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy."

al-Ayyam News said Bezhkian denounced double standards by Washington and its allies and said the Iranian people have a legitimate right to build a decisive defensive force to protect their territory and secure shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Beizkian pledged that the Islamic Republic will not bow in the face of the war that the United States and Israel started against it in February, and it quoted him saying, "We will never bow our heads, and we will not kneel."

SourcesBBCThe Hill