Regional issues “must be resolved in the region, at the hands of the countries in the region, without becoming a toy in the hands of outside aggressors,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tells the UN General Assembly.

Addressing countries who are “responsible” for aggression against Iran, he says that they have tested Iran and learned that Iran “cannot be made to surrender”.

“Iran has never, ever, been an aggressor, has never started a war, and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table,” he adds. “They imposed the war on us, but we have proven that we are not afraid of fighting a war that is defensive in nature, and we will stand in defence of our beloved Iran, our homeland, until our last breath.”