Iran’s Pezeshkian tells UN that US, Israeli attacks dealt a 'grievous blow' to international trust

NEW YORK — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used a high-profile address at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday to condemn U.S. and Israeli attacks in June, saying they inflicted a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region. It was Pezeshkian’s first appearance at a global forum since the summer war between Israel and Iran and the deaths of several senior Iranian officials. He arrived in New York amid mounting pressure from European capitals and the United Nations over Tehran’s nuclear program, with a looming sanctions decision that could tighten the economic squeeze on Iran if no deal is reached by a Sunday deadline.

He reiterated Tehran’s position that its nuclear activities are peaceful and insisted Iran has never sought a nuclear weapon. He assailed France, Germany and the United Kingdom, collectively known as the E3, for what Tehran calls a long history of bad faith in trying to compel Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Pezeshkian suggested that the snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions—triggered by the E3 if no agreement is reached—has been applied under terms that Iran rejects. He said the West has portrayed itself as a neutral party to the accord while pressuring Tehran to accept conditions that Iran views as coercive.

Before arriving in New York, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected any direct nuclear talks with the United States, complicating diplomacy aimed at reducing tensions over Tehran’s atomic program. Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi faced a narrow diplomatic path, with a 30-day window potentially ending this weekend for the snapback of U.N. sanctions if a diplomatic agreement is not reached with Western powers.

The U.N.-imposed deadline comes amid a global standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and international inspections. Western nations maintain that Tehran’s program has not been fully verifiable, citing intelligence about past weaponization efforts. Iran has long asserted its program is for civilian purposes and insists it halted any weapon-related ambitions years ago. Pezeshkian’s remarks at the General Assembly emphasized this distinction, while arguing that the E3’s approach to sanctions has undermined trust rather than fostered negotiations.

The financial pressure surrounding the dispute intensified earlier in the week when Iran’s currency plummeted to a new all-time low, trading near 1,074,000 rials to the U.S. dollar just as Pezeshkian was preparing to speak. Analysts said the slump reflected investor doubts about whether a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough would avert the resumption of sanctions, which would likely deepen economic distress inside Iran as the country confronts restricted access to international financial systems.

Iran’s relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency has been a central fault line in the dispute. In July, Tehran’s parliament passed a law suspending all cooperation with the IAEA, a move that followed the escalation of hostilities with Israel earlier in the year. Although Iran and the IAEA had recently signed a framework agreement mediated by Egypt to resume cooperation and inspections, that arrangement has not yet been fully implemented. The IAEA has previously reported that Iran maintains significant stockpiles of enriched uranium, including quantities at levels up to 60%, a concern for Washington and its allies who fear potential paths to weaponization, even as Tehran insists the material remains for peaceful purposes only.

Khamenei’s message on Tuesday, reiterating that Iran does not possess and will not seek atomic weapons, underscored the tension between Tehran’s public posture and the international community’s insistence on verification. “We do not have a nuclear bomb and we will not have one, and we do not plan to use nuclear weapons,” the supreme leader said, adding that science must not be “demolished by threats and bombing.” Yet he also warned against allowing external pressure to derail Iran’s scientific progress, signaling that Tehran will not bow to sanctions or coercive diplomacy.

The broader diplomacy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program has included moments of tentative cooperation, such as the Egypt-mediated talks to renew inspections, and discussions about restarting site access for U.N. inspectors. But with the snapback deadline looming, European powers have signaled willingness to extend the window if Iran resumes direct negotiations with the United States, grants inspectors greater access, and addresses Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. In Iran’s view, the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 accord in 2018 and what it describes as coercive tactics by Western powers have undermined the process and demanded a rebalanced framework that respects Tehran’s security concerns.

As world leaders monitor the situation, Pezeshkian’s UN appearance framed the volatile moment as a test of whether diplomacy can outpace escalation. The stakes extend beyond Iran’s nuclear program: the potential snapback of sanctions would escalate economic pain for ordinary Iranians, complicate regional security calculations, and influence global energy markets at a time of broader geopolitical realignments. The next few days could determine whether European countries, the United States, and Iran can find a path back to verifiable negotiations or whether sanctions will intensify and the region’s already fragile balance will tilt further toward instability.