Iran, U.S. still far apart in peace talks, Iranian official says; Pezeshkian vows no surrender

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday. | REUTERS

Reuters

Sep 24, 2026

UNITED NATIONS/DUBAI – Iran and the United States remain far apart on how to end their war but diplomacy must continue, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday, after Iran’s president told the U.N. General Assembly that Tehran would never surrender to U.S. pressure.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his speech in New York, condemned what he called “signs of a bullying mentality” from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had used the same forum on Tuesday to threaten to “annihilate” Iran.

The dueling speeches at the annual U.N. gathering bookended the first shuttle talks between the U.S. and Iran for months, though they appeared to have yielded no concessions in the public stance of either side towards ending the war.

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