Iranian President Accuses US of Bullying, Cites School Strike in Minab as Evidence of US Disregard for International Law

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian accused Donald Trump of a "bullying mentality" as he vowed that Tehran would not surrender and said the US has no respect for international law

Speaking at the United Nations on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said his country remained open to diplomacy to end the conflic but threats would only harden Iran's resolve, rejecting Trump's warning that he could annihilate Iran if no deal were reached.

"The remarks made by the US president yesterday ... are a sign of a bullying mentality. ... The Iranian people will not bow to pressure", he said.

"Those who are terrorists and train terrorists call us terrorists", he added.

The US delegation walked out at the start of Pezeshkian’s speech, after Tehran’s delegation did the same for Trump’s speech on Tuesday.

It comes one day after Trump said that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had held a productive meeting with Iranian officials.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 80-year-old Republican delivered a combative speech at the UN, during which he said he could “annihilate” the Iranian government and “drive them into hell” if a peace deal is not reached.

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Alex Croft23 September 2026 23:00

Macron says Strait of Hormuz risk was 'underestimated' but refuses to blame Trump

French president Emmanuel Macron said the risk posed by the Strait of Hormuz "was probably underestimated" but declined to blame US president Donald Trump for the escalating crisis.

In an interview with ABC News, Mr Macron said the main objective of his meeting with Mr Trump on Monday was to find a deal to reopen the strait and address the global energy crisis, which has driven up the price of petrol, diesel and jet fuel.

He said that when the war began, "the Iranian regime discovered they had this card in their hands", referring to Iran's ability to close the strait. Asked whether this had been a blind spot for Mr Trump, Mr Macron said: "I will not here blame anybody. We are where we are. I think the US is the one able to fix this issue, and we need you."

He added that the situation with the strait "was probably underestimated, and today we have to fix this issue."

Asked whether France would offer its military to help reopen the strait, Mr Macron said he did not want to enter a confrontation with any country, but that France was "ready to be more engaged in order to protect some capacities in order to make this transit possible."

Mr Macron also criticised the decision to go to war with Iran, saying that "having a regime change by bombing a country is not something I think feasible", adding that it was "not a good option, because it doesn't work" and that the US had made the same mistake "several times in the past decades."

Responding to Mr Trump's complaints that European allies were not doing enough to support US military spending, Mr Macron said France respected the US and considered itself a "good ally", but that allies should be consulted and strategised with before a war is launched.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 22:01

In pictures: Life continues for ordinary Iranians in Tehran

Alex Croft23 September 2026 21:00

Trump's approval rating on foreign affairs hits new low

US president Donald Trump’s approval rating on foreign affairs has hit a new low as the war in Iran drags on.

Just 29 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of foreign affairs, while 71 percent disapprove, according to a new CNN/SSRS poll. CNN noted that this is a new low in its polling.

When asked specifically about Iran, 26 percent of Americans said they approve of Trump’s handling of the war. This is down from 33 percent who approved of his job a month after the war began in late February.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 20:00

UAE bans major Iranian bank from operating in the country

The United Arab Emirates has banned a major Iranian bank, Melli, from operating in the country as it accused it of failing to comply with regulations.

It could come as a blow to Tehran, whose links to the UAE provide a vital lifeblood for its economy.

Bank Melli Iran, founded in 1927, is the largest state-owned bank in the country and served as its central bank until 1960, when it was replaced by the Central Bank of Iran.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 19:00

Watch: US walks out as Iranian president accuses them of 'terrorism' for 'bombing girls school'

Alex Croft23 September 2026 18:01

Yemen’s factions battling Iran-backed Houthis share a common enemy but not common goals

Yemeni factions fighting the Iran-backed Houthis are united mainly in one thing — their opposition to the rebels who control the country’s north and have recently advanced along its Red Sea coastline.

But beyond that, the groups fighting under the banner of Yemen's internationally recognized government are divided by geography, foreign patronage and competing visions for what their country should look like if the Houthis are pushed back.

In a month of intense fighting that saw the Houthis' biggest land grab in years, factions of the anti-Houthi coalition lost their hold of Mokha, a strategic city on the Red Sea, and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait further south. The advance ended a truce that had been in place since 2022 and had calmed a devastating civil war.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 17:00

In pictures: US delegate walks out during Iranian president's speech

Alex Croft23 September 2026 16:01

Weapons used to attack Iran must not pass through Hormuz - Iranian president

Pezeshkian has turned to the Strait of Hormuz, the central sticking point in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

"It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway. The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not lead to peace," he says.

The strait also must not be used for the passage of weapons that will be used to hurt Iran, he adds.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 15:39

'They were innocent': Iranian president holds up image of children killed in Minab school strike

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has shared images of children killed in a strike on a school in Minab.

"I come from an Iran where they bombed a school," he told delegates at the assembly.

"These children perished under bombs with weapons used by the United States and Israel. They were innocent, had committed no crimes."

A preliminary US military investigation has determined that Washington is responsible for the deadly Tomahawk strike, likely due to a targeting mistake.

Alex Croft23 September 2026 15:36