Pezeshkian tells UN General Assembly Israel holds nuclear weapons while Iran faces inspections

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the UN General Assembly, accusing the US and Israel of illegal attacks on Iranian civilians and infrastructure, defending Iran's right to nuclear enrichment, and stating 'the atomic bomb and other weapons of mass destruction in this region are in the hands of the Israeli regime; yet inspections are demanded of Iran.' He displayed photos of children killed in the Minab school strike, directly rebutting Trump's prior-day threat to 'annihilate' Iran.

Why this matters. Pezeshkian's rejection of disarmament framing and insistence on enrichment rights signals Tehran will not concede the core sticking point blocking a war-ending deal, keeping US-Iran negotiations and the Hormuz reopening timeline unresolved.