"No doubt they will attack": Max Blumenthal meets Iran’s President in NYC

In a meeting with US antiwar figures, Iranian Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian forecasted a more intense round of conflict with Israel and the US, and slammed Washington’s intransigence.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived late to a September 24, 2025 meeting with American antiwar figures on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He had come from a fateful tete-a-tete with Emmanuel Macron, where he attempted to cajole his French counterpart into delaying expiration of the JCPOA nuclear deal rather than instituting snapback sanctions. Pezeshkian’s lobbying was fruitless; the Europeans had already decided to ratchet up the economic war on Tehran. Meanwhile, Israel was preparing for another attack on Iran with American support practically guaranteed.

“No doubt they will attack Iran. And we will defend ourselves vigorously,” Pezeshkian declared to his audience of about 25 antiwar journalists, activists and think tank analysts gathered inside a conference hall in a Midtown Manhattan hotel. A camouflaged bomb squad stood watch outside the room, while grim-looking federal agents paced the halls.