Iran-US war latest: Iranian president hits out at ‘bully’ Trump but says Tehran is ready for dialogue

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Speaking at the United Nations on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said his country remained open to diplomacy to end the conflic but threats would only harden Iran's resolve, rejecting Trump's warning that he could annihilate Iran if no deal were reached.

"The remarks made by the US president yesterday ... are a sign of a bullying mentality. ... The Iranian people will not bow to pressure”, he said.

“Those who are terrorists and train terrorists call us terrorists”, he added.

The US delegation walked out at the start of Pezeshkian’s speech, after Tehran’s delegation did the same for Trump’s speech on Tuesday.

It comes one day after Trump said that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had held a productive meeting with Iranian officials.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 80-year-old Republican delivered a combative speech at the UN, during which he said he could “annihilate” the Iranian government and “drive them into hell” if a peace deal is not reached.

A cargo ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, citing an unidentified company security officer.

The vessel was hit by an "unknown projectile," resulting in two casualties, UKMTO said without providing further details. The crew abandoned the ship, which caught fire and was left adrift.

The attack was the first reported in two days. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

Indian sailors have urged prime minister Narendra Modi to deploy naval escorts for Indian crews in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf waters following the death of another Indian sailor.

Forward Seamen’s Union in a letter to the PM said Suraj Yadav, 26, was working as a wiper aboard the MV Cape Dao, which was sailing from Mina Saqr in the United Arab Emirates toward India.

The vessel was struck twice on its port side.

Hard-line figures in Iran have attacked the country's top diplomat for engaging with the US at the UN, triggering pushback from rival factions in Tehran.

In an X post, lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei demanded that Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi explain the decision to meet with "the aggressor enemy".

Ali Ahmadnia, a media official for Iran's president, responded by posting an AI-generated image depicting Araghchi as a wounded warrior. "How can a soldier be on the battlefield while the home front is being weakened from within?!" Ahmadnia wrote on X.

"The Iranian delegation in New York operates in full coordination with the relevant institutions."

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said he discussed ways of keeping tensions in check at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi."

Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even in challenging circumstances," Sybiha wrote on X.

"Our ‌conversation focused on mutual steps ‌to prevent further aggravation of tensions between our countries. We agreed to keep existing channels of communication open."

Sybiha said ⁠the two ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and Europe "as well as various tracks of ongoing peace efforts".

"I reiterated Ukraine's position in support of a sooner restoration of peace and stability in both our regions."

European Council president Antonio Costa said he spoke with Iran's ⁠president ​Masoud Pezeshkian ⁠and urged Iran ⁠to resume ​its ⁠cooperation with ‌the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Oil prices edged lower today, after climbing 4 per cent in the previous ‌session, as Iran said it remained open to diplomacy to end the US-Iran war, though the two countries remain far apart on ways to do so.

Brent crude futures fell 94 cents, or 0.9 per cent, to $102.13 a barrel, while ​West Texas Intermediate futures eased 59 cents, or 0.7 per cent, to $91.56.

The Pentagon updated its official casualty database to list 19 total U.S. military deaths related to the war with Iran after quietly adding a new fatality.

The change occurred following the death of a female Army officer who suffered a fatal medical emergency Friday while traveling to the Middle East, as reported by The Washington Post.

A U.S. defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity told the outlet that the casualty was logged into the database sometime after Monday afternoon. The death was reported earlier by Task & Purpose. Her identity has not been released.

The addition brings the total number of documented fatalities in the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, to 19, up from 18 recorded earlier in the week. The database also lists more than 820 service members wounded in action.

However, current and former officials indicate the public count remains incomplete. Five U.S. officials told the publication last week that at least 22 service members have died in the region since military action began on February 28, while a sixth official placed the figure at 23.

Some of those unrecorded deaths involve military personnel deployed to the region during active hostilities, even if not directly killed in combat.

In response to reports regarding the accounting discrepancies, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected claims of intentional omissions.

“Even if we wanted to attempt to hide a combat death, we never would and we never could,” Hegseth said.

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian launched a defiant attack on the United States and Israel at the UN, the day after President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic.

The US leader warned he could send Iran to “hell” during his combative address to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, seven months after the war he started alongside Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his address to the gathering in New York on Wednesday, Pezeshkian insisted that Iran would never surrender and held up images of children killed in a strike on a primary school in Minab.