In a defiant speech on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying his country would defend itself against the United States and Israel until “its last breath.”

Pezeshkian’s speech comes in the wake of mixed messages from President Trump, who, in his speech on Tuesday, mused about whether he should “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal to end the war isn’t soon reached, only to reveal later that U.S. and Iranian delegations had engaged in “very productive” talks for several hours during the gathering.

Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with security analyst Jim Walsh, senior research associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program, about the prospects for peace with Iran.

This segment aired on September 23, 2026.