Iran's president tells UN Iran will never 'bend the knee' to US pressure

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that Iran will never "bend the knee" after nearly seven months of war with the US and Israel, while remaining open to a diplomatic solution. Responding to President Donald Trump's threat to "annihilate" Iran without a deal, Pezeshkian said resistance would grow under sanctions and pressure, and insisted any agreement must end the US blockade of Iranian ships and ports, citing unfair denial of access to the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, carrying a fifth of global oil and gas, has been effectively closed since late February. A preliminary June deal collapsed, and recent indirect talks in New York were dismissed by Iran as "not anything new."