Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iran's nuclear program has long been framed around centrifuges, enrichment, sanctions and bombs. For Iranians, he said, nuclear technology is part of the right to development.

"Nuclear energy is treatment for patients, food security for agriculture, technology for industry and stable electricity for the future," he said.

"To be explicit: No to nuclear weapons; no to deprivation of nuclear knowledge," he said. He added that Iran does not accept nuclear expertise as the exclusive privilege of a few countries, and that the issue "will not be solved on the battlefield." He said the solution is an agreement that gives the world credible assurance the program is peaceful and assures Iranians their rights are protected.

Pezeshkian also raised the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which much of the world's oil and gas passes. He said it is unacceptable for Iran, the strait's historic guardian, to be barred from shipping in its own waters under "unjust sanctions," while weapons, explosives, missiles and energy used to destroy countries pass through the same route.

"Shipping security cannot be separated from the security of coastal states," he said, adding that the permanent deployment of hostile fleets does not create security.

He said Iran does not view its neighbors' security as a rival to its own.

Pezeshkian also responded to remarks by the US president a day earlier, who had called Iran a terrorist state. He said Iran was a victim of terrorism and had acted only in self-defense. He pointed to US and Israeli attacks on a school in Minab and a sports hall in Lamerd, as well as on hospitals, bridges and other infrastructure.

"We do not ask permission from anyone to defend our country," he said, adding that Iran has not attacked another country in 200 years.

He accused Israel of applying a double standard, saying it holds nuclear weapons and is not an NPT member while inspections are demanded of Iran. He also called for justice for the Palestinians, saying lasting peace in West Asia is not possible without it.

Pezeshkian said Iran is ready for dialogue but will not accept "the language of force." "We will not fear war to defend ourselves, and we will not flee negotiations for peace," he said.