(MENAFN) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Wednesday that his nation is not seeking nuclear arms, emphasizing that this stance follows the directives of the country’s leadership and religious authorities.

“We are not seeking to manufacture nuclear weapons and will not pursue them at the orders of our leaders and our religious authority,” Pezeshkian stated during his address at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He criticized Israeli and American strikes on Iran in June, describing them as “a grave betrayal of diplomacy.” The president also highlighted that Tehran has endured “the assassination of its scientists, the violation of state sovereignty, and the targeting of its leaders.”

Pezeshkian sharply denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “criminal,” while underlining that foreign powers have been unsuccessful in fostering internal discord among Iranians.

“The Zionist (Israeli) regime and its backers are not satisfied with political normalization but seek to impose their presence through blatant force,” he asserted.

Despite sanctions and what he described as a “media war” against the country, Pezeshkian said Iranians “have united behind their armed forces.”

He reaffirmed that “our nation has stood together to defend sovereignty and support the military,” while condemning Israel’s “criminal aggression against Qatar.”

He further pointed to “two years of genocide in Gaza, violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, destruction in Syria, and killings in Yemen” as proof of Israel’s destabilizing influence across the Middle East.

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