Iran president sends defiant message to US over potential talks

Eltaf Najafizada and Eric Martin, Bloomberg News on Sep 23, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won’t allow freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while sanctions and a U.S. blockade remain in place, underscoring the difficulty in reaching a peace deal with Washington despite efforts to revive talks this week.

The Islamic Republic “cannot accept that everyone benefits from the waterway while, at the same time, the historic guardian of that waterway is deprived because of the oppressive sanctions,” he said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Iran is ready to resume talks about ending the near seven-month conflict with the U.S. but will not respond to threats, he added. While the country isn’t interested in building an atomic weapon, it won’t give up the right to develop nuclear technology for economic development, he said.

Pezeshkian’s address laid out a number of conditions before any meaningful talks with the U.S. can resume, undermining tentative signs of diplomatic progress that emerged this week in New York.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday his officials had “very good” talks with Iranian envoys on the sidelines of the U.N. summit, although he had used his high-profile speech at the forum to warn he’d “annihilate” Iran unless Tehran strikes a deal to end the conflict.

“This is what Trump and others that want to bully us have to comprehend: we are ready for dialogue, but they must understand we won’t accept the language of force,” Pezeshkian said.

Iran was represented in talks in New York by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who laid out “firm positions” for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media. Tehran’s conditions include the U.S. immediately lifting a naval blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets and ending the war “on all fronts,” IRIB News reported, an apparent reference to Israel’s campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The U.S. and Israel started the war against Iran in late February, with the stated aim being to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. The conflict has roiled the Middle East and energy markets and resulted in a months-long stalemate, with traffic severely restricted through Hormuz. At the same time, little is known about the present state of Iran’s atomic activities.

Questions surrounding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program won’t be “resolved on the battlefield,” Pezeshkian said.

Asked about Iranian criticism of Trump’s assertive U.N. speech, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Tehran of undermining the international system by supporting militant groups across the Middle East.

“I don’t know what standing Iran has to lecture anyone on human rights or the international system when they habitually violate it,” Rubio told reporters in New York. “They violate the sovereignty of every one of their neighbors by sponsoring terrorist organizations that reside within the borders of those countries. They slaughter their own people. They violate rules and sanctions that were imposed by the international community.”

The Iranian president’s appearance in New York put him in the unusual position of addressing foreign leaders on U.S. soil while the Islamic Republic is at war with Washington, giving Tehran a high-profile platform to present its side of the conflict. Pezeshkian is also due to hold bilateral meetings with foreign leaders in New York.

U.S.-Iran talks have effectively been on hold since June, when a memorandum of understanding that would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz quickly collapsed. On Wednesday, Rubio characterized the talks as positive and a “continuation” of previous discussions.

“I don’t want to mischaracterize this as a major breakthrough, but at the same time, I think it was significant that at least there was a conversation,” he said.

Iran has been talks with Oman on an arrangement for the waterway, a critical transit point for global energy supplies. One sticking point is Tehran’s push to charge ships fees, an idea opposed by the U.S. and Gulf countries.

Iran’s nuclear program is another central issue in any potential negotiation. Tehran says its nuclear activities are peaceful, while Washington has sought restrictions on the program as part of a broader agreement.

—With assistance from Golnar Motevalli and Fiona MacDonald.