By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that Tehran would not accept pressure in negotiations with the United States, as Iran set out conditions for reviving diplomacy while Israeli strikes killed at least four Palestinians in Gaza despite a ceasefire.
Pezeshkian, addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, said Iran remained open to dialogue but would not accept talks conducted under threats.
“We will not bow our head,” he said, adding that Iran was prepared for negotiations provided they were not accompanied by threats.
Pezeshkian also rejected US President Donald Trump’s description of Iran as the “number one sponsor of terror”.
“Yesterday, Trump said we are terrorists. We are not terrorists; we are victims of terrorism,” he said.
He accused Israel of targeting Iranian neighbourhoods and carrying out assassinations, and referred to US-Israeli attacks against Iran earlier this year.
Pezeshkian also criticised Israel’s nuclear capabilities, saying Israel possessed nuclear weapons while not being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
He reiterated Tehran’s position that it was not seeking nuclear weapons while defending Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology.
“We say it clearly: No nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology,” he said.
His comments followed a two-hour exchange of messages and clarifications between Iran and the United States on Tuesday, mediated by Qatar on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the exchange was “a continuation of the discussions” mediated between Tehran and Washington.
“Another round of message exchange and clarification took place through Qatari mediation between Iran and America,” Baqaei said.
He said Iran had communicated its positions and conditions for reviving diplomacy “in a manner that leaves no doubt or ambiguity and provides no excuses or pretexts for any party.”
According to Baqaei, Tehran is demanding an end to US “aggressive actions”, including its naval blockade and what Iran calls “economic terrorism”, as well as an end to the war on all fronts and the release of Iranian assets that have been frozen or restricted.
Iran is also demanding guarantees for safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz under an arrangement between Iran and Oman.
A senior Iranian official separately told Reuters that Tehran was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran had submitted the proposal through mediators on September 16.
The latest exchanges followed comments by Trump on Tuesday that US officials had held talks in New York with representatives of the Iranian delegation for about three hours.
Trump described the talks as having gone “very well”.
Iranian state television reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying the meeting took place at the repeated request of US officials.
US officials described the discussions as constructive, while Iranian officials said Tehran and Washington remained far apart over how to end the war, although diplomacy should continue.
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in Gaza
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said at least four Palestinians were killed and several others injured in separate Israeli strikes on Wednesday despite the ceasefire.
Two Palestinians, identified by Gaza medics as Osama Abu Khater and Mohammad Abu Elwan, were killed when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle in western Khan Younis, according to medical sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Abu Elwan was a senior Hamas finance official and that the strike was intended to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities.
“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength,” they said in a joint statement, adding that Israel would continue operating until Hamas no longer existed in Gaza.
Two other Palestinians were killed in separate strikes in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah, according to Palestinian medical sources.
In central Gaza, a Palestinian was killed and others injured when an Israeli drone struck a gathering of civilians in the Al-Bassa area west of Deir al-Balah, according to a medical source at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Another Palestinian was killed and others injured when an Israeli drone struck a gathering near Al-Wafaa Hospital in central Gaza City. An Anadolu correspondent said the strike hit a busy area containing tents housing displaced Palestinians.
In the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, an Israeli drone struck a civilian vehicle at a busy intersection on Al-Rashid Street, according to a medical source. One Palestinian was initially reported killed and others injured, some critically, before the source reported that another injured Palestinian had died.
Israeli forces also demolished Palestinian buildings and homes in areas east of Khan Younis where they are deployed, according to local sources. Witnesses reported intense gunfire from Israeli military vehicles in the area.
In northern Gaza, witnesses reported Israeli artillery fire towards areas east of Gaza City.
Earlier Wednesday, a medical source at Nasser Hospital said 24-year-old Yahya Abu Samour had died from wounds sustained after being shot by Israeli forces in the Al-Satar al-Gharbi area north of Khan Younis on Tuesday evening.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that 1,402 Palestinians had been killed and 4,881 injured since the current ceasefire came into effect. It has reported 73,922 Palestinian deaths and 174,995 injuries since October 7, 2023.
Board of Peace unveils $2.45 billion
The latest strikes came as the US-backed Board of Peace unveiled a $2.45 billion plan at the UN for the initial reconstruction of Gaza.
The proposal includes 66 projects covering temporary housing, rubble removal, hospital repairs, electricity and water infrastructure, and economic recovery. The plan estimates physical damage in Gaza at $35.2 billion and says reconstruction could require about $71.4 billion over the next decade.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reconstruction would be a long-term process.
“Obviously this is a longterm project. It’s not something that can happen in six months,” Rubio said. “But at least gives people a hope. Here’s the future that awaits you if everyone does their part.”
The proposal requires further funding and implementation arrangements while Israel and Hamas remain divided over issues including Hamas’ disarmament and the extent of an Israeli military withdrawal.
Israeli forces kills Palestinian in West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 29-year-old Mahmoud Mohammed Mahmoud Suleiman at the Beit Ur checkpoint west of Ramallah on Wednesday evening, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Israeli army said the incident followed a car-ramming attack near the Maccabim, or Beit Ur, checkpoint in which an Israeli soldier was seriously injured.
Israeli police said the Palestinian drove his vehicle towards a patrol and struck one of its members before Israeli forces opened fire and killed him.
The wounded man was identified as Neria Leiter, a soldier and the son of Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.
Israeli media reported that Leiter was seriously wounded. His father said his son “needs a miracle” as he remained in critical condition.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Leiter and his family in hospital before travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified Suleiman as the man killed in the incident. Palestine TV had earlier reported that Israeli forces had opened fire on a Palestinian man at the checkpoint and tightened military measures around Ramallah.
The incident came amid continuing Israeli military raids and attacks across the occupied West Bank.
[Photo: President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during the high-level annual meetings on September 23, 2026, in New York City, U.S., shows photos of school girls killed by U.S./Israeli bombing of Iran on the first day of their attacks on Iran. Photojournalist: Selçuk Acar/AA]
