US walks out of UN General Assembly as Iranian president decries ‘genocide’ and ‘terrorism’ against Iran

Published September 23, 2026 11:57am ET



The Islamic Republic of Iran is casting itself as an unwilling martyr against the “chaos of power” playing out in the Middle East, warning President Donald Trump that it will “never bend the knee.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian opened his address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday with a series of photos showing children killed by bombings in Operation Epic Fury. He declared his nation a “victim of terrorism” that has “committed no crimes.”

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