Iran’s Pezeshkian Tells UN That Hormuz Will Not Serve As Passage For Weapons Used Against Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that his country cannot allow the Strait of Hormuz to be used as a route for weapons aimed at Iran, even as he expressed a desire for stable relations with neighboring nations. He argued that no country should benefit from passage through the waterway while simultaneously using it to threaten Iranian security or block Iran’s own access to its coastal waters.

Strategic Waterway Remains Central To Negotiations

According to Reuters, the Strait of Hormuz sits between Oman and Iran, connecting the Gulf region to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea, and historically carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the current conflict disrupted normal traffic. Iran has previously indicated it could reopen the strait within days if the United States reduced military pressure and lifted restrictions on Iranian ports. Pezeshkian warned that permanently stationing hostile naval forces in the area and expanding the conflict would not produce peace.

Iran Rejects Any Notion Of Surrender

Pezeshkian told delegates that Iran’s adversaries have learned the country cannot be forced into submission, insisting Iran has never initiated conflict and has consistently shown willingness to negotiate. He stated firmly that Iran would not bow to outside pressure.

Nuclear Program Framed As Peaceful Necessity

Turning to the nuclear issue, the Iranian leader said his country requires peaceful nuclear energy rather than weapons capability, pushing back against the idea that nuclear technology should remain exclusively available to a limited group of nations. This point remains a central sticking point in negotiations with Washington, which has pressed Iran to abandon its enriched uranium stockpile.

Speech Opens With Images Of War Casualties

Early in his address, Pezeshkian displayed an image of the Islamic Republic’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed in a strike on his compound during the initial days of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. He also showed images of children killed in a strike on a school. A UN fact-finding mission reported earlier this month that it found reasonable grounds to believe the United States was responsible for military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran, characterizing the incidents as war crimes. The US delegation reportedly left the hall during the address.