'We do not seek security in insecurity of others': Iranian President defends military actions at UNGA

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly, asserting that Iran has no ambition to leverage its power for regional dominance, while defending the country's actions during its recent conflict with the United States and Israel.
"We do not seek our security in the insecurity of others," Pezeshkian told delegates, framing Iran's military posture as strictly defensive rather than expansionist. He emphasised that Iran's defence systems exist specifically to deter aggression: "Our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that bombing Iranian cities will go unanswered." He further stated that Iran would not seek outside permission to protect itself, saying, "In order to defend our country, we do not seek anyone's permission or approval."

The Iranian leader described his nation as having withstood assaults from adversaries armed with sophisticated military technology. "Iran has never ever been an aggressor, has never started a war and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table. They imposed the war on us, but we proved that we're not afraid of fighting."

Pezeshkian drew a sharp distinction between Iran's conduct during the conflict and that of its adversaries, insisting Tehran had avoided targeting civilians even as it retaliated. "We did not hit civilian populations," he said, while accusing opposing forces of striking non-military targets. "They came into surrounding territories and targeted our universities, our healthcare centres, our schools, our hospitals, our infrastructures, all of it against international law," he charged.

Notably, as Pezeshkian began his address, a member of the US delegation was seen standing up, gathering his briefcase, removing his glasses, and exiting the assembly hall, a moment that quickly circulated on social media.

The Iranian president also cast his country as a victim of terrorism, condemning what he called unlawful American strikes. He referenced the killing of Iran's supreme leader, describing it as an assassination carried out "without any legal framework or reason." Pezeshkian additionally pointed to the bombing of a primary school in Minab, which occurred on the opening day of the war. "I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school," he said.

Through his address, Pezeshkian sought to position Iran as a nation acting in self-defence against unprovoked aggression, while simultaneously appealing to the international community's sense of legal and moral accountability regarding the conduct of the war.