Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected allegations that Iran is a terrorist state, telling the United Nations General Assembly that his country has instead been a victim of terrorism and military aggression.
In his address, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attacks that he said killed Iranian civilians, including children, and maintained that Iran had acted in self-defence. His remarks come amid continuing conflict and heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Pezeshkian also referred to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader and an attack on a school in Minab. According to the Iranian account presented at the UN, the school attack killed 168 schoolchildren and teachers. A recent UN fact-finding report separately said there were reasonable grounds to believe a US strike on the school constituted a war crime, while also documenting alleged crimes by Iranian authorities.
The Iranian president framed his country’s military actions as defensive responses to what he described as aggression by the United States and Israel.
Iran’s claims have been strongly disputed by Israel and the United States. In UN proceedings, Israeli representatives have accused Iran of supporting terrorist organisations and launching attacks that put civilians at risk.
Pezeshkian’s remarks underline the sharply competing accounts surrounding the conflict, as international efforts to address the escalating crisis continue.