Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stresses that while Tehran has responded to strikes by the US and Israel, it has not targeted civilian areas.

“Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee. We did not bow our head,” he says, addressing the UN General Assembly. “We responded, but we did not hit civilian populations.

“They came into surrounding territories and targeted our universities, our healthcare centres, our schools, our hospitals, our infrastructures; all of it against international law,” Pezeshkian adds.

He further says that on the day of his inauguration as president, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran by Israel.

“Israel targets any neighbourhood in any city in any province, commits assassinations like a true terrorist,” Pezeshkian emphasises.