The Iranian President raises a picture of Khamenei and the children of Minab School at the United Nations and accuses America and Israel of terrorism

(CNN) - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian uploaded a picture of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and pictures of the children of the Minab School who were killed in an American strike during the recent war.

The Iranian President addressed world leaders before the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, saying: “US President Donald Trump described us as terrorists, while we were victims of terrorism,” he said.

Pezeshkian pointed out that he came from "Iran, where our esteemed Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei) was assassinated, without any legal justification or reason. (From Iran), where a school was actually bombed. Look at these children. They died under the weight of the bombs and weapons used by the United States and Israel." He continued: “They were innocent and did not commit any crimes,” he was quoted by the official Iranian news agency, IRNA.

International news agencies, including Getty Images, published pictures of the Iranian President holding up a picture of Ali Khamenei and pictures of some of the victims of Minab School children.

Pezeshkian said that his country needs to build its military capabilities because “a people unable to defend themselves will be eaten in today’s world,” he said.

Pezeshkian pointed out that his country "does not view its neighbors as security competitors. We want to have strong neighbors. We do not seek to destabilize security in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. We cannot allow some to enjoy freedom of passage and achieve their interests through this waterway, while at the same time they use it to launch aggression against us, destabilize our security, and prevent us from accessing our waterways," according to IRNA.

A recent United Nations investigation concluded that two deadly US strikes targeting Iran during the first phase of the war - including a strike that hit a primary school - may rise to the level of war crimes.

At least 156 people were killed, including 120 children and 26 teachers, as a result of the bombing of the school located in the southern city of Minab on February 28, according to Iranian officials.

Although there is a slight discrepancy in the number of casualties announced, this incident is considered one of the worst incidents of civilian casualties in modern American military history.

Last February, the Israeli raids on Iran targeted prominent Iranian figures, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian Army Chief of Staff Abdul Rahim Mousavi, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the operation.

Later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the bombing of the command compound in Tehran, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a large number of his family members in February, “was carried out through a security loophole, and this security loophole still exists.” He added: "From day one, plans were made to close the Strait of Hormuz if the guide was targeted."