The president said the attacks, which struck Iranian cities, homes, and infrastructure while diplomatic talks were ongoing, represented “a grave betrayal of diplomacy and a weakening of efforts to establish peace and stability.”

“What you see in these images of killings and crimes is the massacre of children and women. It is a black record of slaughter carried out by Israel in our country against our people, including women, children, and youth, under the name of preserving peace and security in the region,” he said, holding out pictures of the victims.

Pezeshkian underscored Iran’s resilience, saying the country was “the world’s oldest continuous civilization” that has withstood the storms of history.

“Despite the harshest, longest, and heaviest economic sanctions, psychological warfare, media campaigns, and constant efforts to sow division, the Iranian people, from the very first bullet fired at their soil, stood united behind their brave armed forces, and today they continue to honor the blood of their martyrs,” he said.

The Iranian president said the strikes killed commanders, women, children, scientists, and national elites, while also damaging internationally-monitored facilities. He said the strikes constitute “a black record of crimes” carried out under the pretext of preserving regional security.

“Assassination of state officials, systematic targeting of journalists, and the killing of individuals solely because of their knowledge and expertise are flagrant violations of human rights and international law,” the Iranian president told delegates from around the globe.

Israel and the United States have shed the blood of thousands of innocent people in Gaza with the same approach, he said.

Pezeshkian accused Washington and Tel Aviv of deliberately undermining negotiations through military escalation.

The president stated that the foundation of all divine religions and human conscience is the golden rule: “Do not do unto others what you would not want done unto yourself.”

“Let us look at the past two years: the world has witnessed genocide in Gaza; the destruction of homes and repeated violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity in Lebanon; the devastation of Syria’s infrastructure; attacks on the people of Yemen; the forced starvation of emaciated children in their mothers’ arms; the stealthy assault on the sovereignty of nations, violations of states’ territorial integrity, and the open targeting of national leaders.”

“Would you accept such things for yourselves?”

The Iranian president warned that if such “dangerous violations” go unchecked, they will spread worldwide.

Call for ‘power through peace’

The president denounced what he called the “absurd and delusional” plan for a “Greater Israel,” accusing Israel of pursuing aggression and apartheid under the guise of “peace through power.”

“Today, after nearly two years of genocide, mass starvation, the continuation of apartheid inside the occupied territories, and aggression against neighboring countries, the absurd and delusional plan of a ‘Greater Israel’ is being shamelessly declared at the highest levels of this regime.”

He said such policies amount to “bullying and coercion — not peace, and not power.”

The Iranian president outlined an alternative vision for West Asia, calling for a “strong region” built on collective security, cultural diversity, joint investment in infrastructure and science, energy security, environmental protection, and the non-negotiable principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We seek not peace through force, but power through peace.”

He also reiterated Iran’s longstanding support for a West Asia free of weapons of mass destruction, criticizing nuclear-armed states for violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) while pressuring Iran with “baseless accusations.”

“But we want our powerful Iran, alongside powerful neighbors, in a strong region with a bright future,” Pezeshkian said.

“We stand against mega projects that impose genocide, destruction, and instability on the region, and we defend a shared and hopeful vision: a vision that guarantees collective security through genuine mechanisms of defensive cooperation and joint responses to threats… a vision that seeks not ‘peace through force’ but ‘power through peace.’”

The president said in such a rich region, “there is no place for killing and bloodshed.”

“That is why, for many years, my country has been one of the staunchest supporters of creating a region free of weapons of mass destruction.”

“Yet those who themselves possess the largest nuclear arsenals, and who, in blatant violation of the NPT, make their weapons ever more lethal and destructive, have for years subjected our people to pressure with baseless accusations,” he said.

‘E3 trying to bully Iran’

Turning to the standoff over the so-called snapback mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal, Pezeshkian denounced three European countries for attempting to reinstate annulled UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran, calling the move “illegal” and carried out “at the order of the United States.”

“Last week, three European countries, after failing, through a decade of broken promises and later by supporting military aggression, to bring the proud people of Iran to their knees, at the order of the United States, attempted through pressure, bullying, imposition, and blatant abuse to reinstate the annulled UN Security Council resolutions against Iran,” he said.

He accused the European powers of abandoning goodwill, bypassing legal obligations, and misrepresenting Iran’s remedial steps after the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.

“They falsely presented themselves as ‘well-intentioned parties’ to the agreement, and labeled Iran’s sincere efforts as ‘insufficient.’ All of this was aimed at destroying the very JCPOA they themselves once called the greatest achievement of multilateral diplomacy,” he said.

The president said the move, which also faced opposition from some Security Council members, lacks international legitimacy and “will not be welcomed by the global community.”

He reiterated that Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons, citing a religious decree by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Calling for a new approach to security, he urged world leaders to embrace “confidence building, mutual respect, and regional convergence” rather than force.

“I invite everyone to practice listening to one another instead of raising voices; to reconsider the intellectual foundations of polarization and political violence that today afflict not only the international community but also create tension and turmoil within societies; and to embrace, as the common ground of all beliefs and cultures, the principle of not imposing on others what we would not accept for ourselves.”

The Iranian president concluded by appealing for the restoration of the credibility of international institutions and the creation of a regional security framework in West Asia.

“Let us restore and rebuild the credibility of international institutions and legal mechanisms, and commit to establishing a system of regional security and cooperation in West Asia.”

• E3 set aside good faith at the ‘behest of the US’, says Pezeshkian.
• UN sanctions to be reimposed on Iran in case of no deal with E3.
• Snapback process includes arms embargo, uranium enrichment ban.
  

UNITED NATIONS: Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, just days before international sanctions could be reimposed on his country over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said.

On August 28, Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions that ends on September 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

The European powers have offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks on a long-term deal if Iran restores access for UN nuclear inspectors, addresses concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the United States.

SAYS E3 ‘SET ASIDE GOOD FAITH’

Pezeshkian criticised the move by European powers as “illegal”, saying it was made at “the behest of the United States of America”.

The United States, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

“In doing so, they (the E3) set aside good faith. They circumvented legal obligations. They sought to portray Iran’s lawful remedial measures … as a gross violation,” Pezeshkian said.

But amid the looming threat of sanctions and last-ditch talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, gaps remain between Tehran and European powers over a deal to avert the snapback of sanctions.

Still, both sides have left the door open to further negotiations. While the E3 says Iran’s clerical rulers have so far failed to meet the conditions it set, Tehran says it will not offer concessions.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on key state matters such as foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, has ruled out negotiations with the United States under threat.

DEADLINE ON SATURDAY

If Tehran and the E3 fail to reach a deal on an extension by the end of September 27, then all UN sanctions will be reimposed on Iran, where the economy already struggles with crippling sanctions reimposed since 2018 after President Donald Trump ditched the pact during his first term.

The so-called “snapback” process would reimpose an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing, a ban on activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, a global asset freeze and travel bans on Iranian individuals and entities.

Soon after the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June, Iran’s parliament passed a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

However, the IAEA and Tehran reached a deal on September 9 to resume inspections at nuclear sites and UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday a team of inspectors was on its way to Iran should Tehran and the E3 strike a deal this week to avert revival of sanctions.

Multiple people were wounded and one was killed in a shooting on Wednesday at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas, and the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, federal officials said.

Police responded to reports of the shooting at the office in northwest Dallas at about 7:30am local time, local media reported.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in an X post that there were multiple injuries and fatalities and the shooter was dead.

“The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop. I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families,” US Vice President JD Vance wrote on X, replying to Noem.

The field office is where people are processed and where agents decide whether to release individuals or hold them, according to ICE.

The victims were being led into the building to be processed and repatriated, Fox News reported, citing Dallas police Department sources.

Two people were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds. One victim died at the scene. The suspect is deceased, the Dallas Police Department said on X.

Footage from local news showed heavy law enforcement response around the facility.

The shooter was found dead on the roof of a nearby building, local ABC affiliate WFAA reported, citing sources.

“Preliminary information is a possible sniper,” ICE acting Director Todd Lyons told CNN.

Some media accounts said at least some of the victims were in critical condition.

Dallas police responded to Reuters inquiries and a spokesman said “This is an active scene and information is limited.”