Pezeshkian Offers Nuclear Concessions Amid Trump's Annihilation Threats

President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, accusing the United States of conducting an illegal war of aggression and terrorism. He specifically cited a February 28 strike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a massacre of nearly 170 people at the Minab Girls' School. While Pezeshkian declared that Iran does not fear war and will not bend to sanctions, he offered to dilute enriched uranium and submit the nuclear program to international verification to ease tensions.

These diplomatic overtures follow threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annihilate the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached. Pezeshkian denied that Iran seeks a nuclear bomb, citing a religious decree that renders such weapons unholy, and denied plotting to assassinate Trump or his family. He urged a return to a June memorandum of understanding that would waive oil sanctions in exchange for nuclear concessions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed a seven-day roadmap to end the conflict, which includes halting fighting in Lebanon, releasing $12 billion in frozen assets, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Despite meetings between Araghchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that discussions have failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Iran would alter its defensive weaponry if attacks continue.