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

Masoud Pezeshkian argued Iran was a victim of terrorism. ( Reuters: Caitlin Ochs )

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Yesterday, the United States' president described us as terrorists," Mr Pezeshkian said, according to a live 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.

"We will never bow or head our bend at the knee," he said. "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."

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.

Mr Trump yesterday said US and Iranian officials had held a "very productive meeting" on the sidelines of the 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.

Today, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on social media that messages had been exchanged with the US via Qatari 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.

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. The council includes Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

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.

A UN-backed fact-finding mission recently concluded there were "reasonable grounds" the US committed a war crime by bombing the school. The US has not publicly taken 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.

He said Iran posed no threat to neighbouring countries, but did not mention Iran-backed militant groups elsewhere in the Middle 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.

"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."