# Iran Answers Trump: “We Did Not Bend the Knee”

*World · 24 September 2026 · RECORDx NEWS*

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCE104e1HwA
Page: https://news.recordx.co/story/iran-answers-trump-we-did-not-bend-the-knee/

A day after Trump called Iran the world's number one sponsor of terror, Iran's president answered him from the same UN podium.
On 22 September Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly he had a big decision to make: a deal with Iran, or "do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly". On 23 September Masoud Pezeshkian replied: "Yesterday, the United States President described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism." He held up photographs of children he said were killed at a school, and closed by naming Trump: Iran is ready for dialogue "without accepting the language of force".
The same day Trump spoke, his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held about three hours of talks with Iran's delegation at the UN, with Qatar mediating. Trump: "Not the highest level, but it's something."
Pezeshkian's words are the UN's English interpretation.

## The reporting

Claim: On Tuesday 22 September 2026 Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that Iran is "the number one sponsor of terror" and put his choice to the hall: a deal, "or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly". On Wednesday 23 September Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian took the same rostrum: "Yesterday, the United States President described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism." He held up photographs of children he said were killed at a school by American and Israeli weapons, said "we did not bend the knee", and closed by naming Trump: Iran is ready for dialogue, diplomacy and negotiations "without accepting the language of force". The complication: on the day Trump spoke, his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held about three hours of talks with Iran's delegation at the UN, largely through Qatari mediation. Trump called it a very good meeting: "Not the highest level, but it's something." He said another round would come in the very near future. Format: duet, ~79s, 4 voice beats (Trump in his own voice; Pezeshkian through the UN's English interpretation, labelled on every frame). Gravity: heavy.

## Facts

Trump, UNGA general debate, 22 Sept 2026 — own words, UN Web TV tape. Pezeshkian, UNGA general debate, 23 Sept 2026 — UN English interpretation, UN Web TV tape. War length "nearly seven months" — France 24; Pezeshkian: "in the past seven months". Talks: ~3 hours, Witkoff + Kushner, Qatar mediating, Tuesday — Times of Israel, Axios, Israel Hayom, France 24.

## What this story does not claim

It does not independently verify the strikes Pezeshkian described; the reel says "he said". It does not say what was agreed in the talks, or that they were face to face. Pezeshkian's words are the UN interpreter's English, not his own voice.

## References

- https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1u/k1uoapbd13
- https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17vgtoa6m
- https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260923-iran-will-never-bend-at-the-knee-pezeshkian-tells-un-defiant-wartime-address
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-and-iranian-negotiators-hold-talks-at-un-that-trump-says-went-very-well/
- https://www.axios.com/2026/09/22/unga-iran-us-trump-war
- https://www.npr.org/2026/09/23/nx-s1-5978863/iran-president-united-nations-general-assembly

Reporting drawn from: UN Web TV (General Debate, 81st Session: Iran; United States), France 24, Axios, Times of Israel, NPR

## Footage

- k1uoapbd13 215–245
- k1uoapbd13 87–113
- k1uoapbd13 342–358
- k1uoapbd13 795–829

## Transcript

One day after Donald Trump called Iran the world's number one sponsor of terror, Iran's president stood at the same podium and answered him
Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?
That was Trump on Tuesday weighing a deal against wiping out the Islamic Republic nearly seven months into the war
Yesterday, the United States President described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism
Then Masoud Pezeshkian held up photographs of children he said were killed at a school by American and Israeli weapons
Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee. We did not bow our head
Yet on the day Trump spoke, his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent about three hours in talks with Iran's delegation, with Qatar mediating. Trump called it very good. "Not the highest level," he said, "but something."
Iran must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for a dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force
Two speeches, one podium, one day apart. And Trump says another round of talks is coming soon

## Topics

iran, trump, un general assembly, unga 2026, iran war, united nations

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