The US delegation staged a walkout during an address by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly after he accused America and Israel of killing civilians and declared that Iran has been a "victim of terrorism". Pezeshkian, whilst holding photographs of a US attack on an Iranian school, stated that Iran would never surrender to pressure, remarks which prompted the solitary US delegate present to stand, gather his briefcase and exit the chamber.

The confrontation comes during a nearly seven-month conflict between the two nations, with the Iranian president emphasising his country's defensive stance against what he characterised as aggressive attacks. Hours before Pezeshkian's speech, US President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three-hour meeting with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the gathering—the first indirect talks since a June ceasefire collapsed. Trump had previously suggested he might "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached, whilst Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson reasserted demands for the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports and the release of frozen Iranian assets.