IRANIAN PRESIDENT MASOUD Pezeshkian has accused the US and Israel of committing “terrorism” against his country, a day after Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the country if a peace deal cannot be reached.

For the first time, the president of a country at war with the United States addressed the UN General Assembly in New York this afternoon, using his speech to hit back at accusations made by Trump from the same podium on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian held up photographs of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, as well as children killed in a strike on a school that day.

Pezeshkian pictured holding a picture of the former Ayatollah Khamenei. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“We have been the victims of terrorism,” Pezeshkian told world leaders.

“I come from an Iran in which our esteemed supreme leader was assassinated without any legal framework or reason.

“I come from an Iran where, in truth, they bombed a school.”

A UN fact-finding mission said last week that there were reasonable grounds to believe the US was responsible for the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, which killed more than 100 children.

The US has not publicly accepted responsibility for the attack. An Associated Press investigation previously found evidence that a US missile struck the school.

The lone US representative in the Assembly hall walked out as Pezeshkian spoke about civilian casualties from the war and accused the US and Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure in violation of international law.

U.S. delegation leaves the assembly as Pezeshkian speaks at the UNGA. pic.twitter.com/C4tbNZpAxt

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“Iran must be powerful to avoid being threatened, to avoid its future being threatened,” Pezeshkian said.

“Our defensive systems have been built so that no one can think that bombing Iranian cities will go unanswered.”

Pezeshkian said Iran was often labelled as a supporter of terrorism by the US, while his country “only seeks to live independently”.

“Those who are committing terrorism and committing crimes – are they the protectors of peace and stability?” Pezeshkian asked.

He claimed Iran had not attacked another country or territory “for the past two centuries” and said its military power was defensive.

Nuclear programme

Pezeshkian also insisted Iran was seeking nuclear technology for peaceful purposes rather than to develop nuclear weapons.

“We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours,” he said.

“We say it clearly: no nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology.”

He added that peace “will not come in the field of battle” and called for security guarantees for the Iranian people.

Tehran, Iran pictured after an airstrike in March. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

His comments come a day after Trump used his own UN address to warn that he was deciding whether to strike a deal with Tehran or “annihilate” the country.

Trump said a deal could allow Iran to “rebuild and create a far greater country”, but threatened to “drive them into hell with no chance of survival” if an agreement could not be reached.

Despite the rhetoric, US and Iranian officials held their first confirmed direct talks since the war began in February on the sidelines of the UN gathering on Tuesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for around three hours.

Trump subsequently described the discussions as a “very good” and “very productive” meeting and said another was expected “in the very near future”.

Pezeshkian today said Trump’s comments about Iran went against the “very essence” of the UN Charter.

“He must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying,” he said.

“We will never bow our head or bend at the knee.”

However, Pezeshkian also signalled that Iran remained willing to negotiate.

“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.”

Additional reporting from AFP