Iran Calls Itself the Victim, Its Record Tells Another Story

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s speech at the United Nations did not mention Iran’s history of terrorism and the thousands of innocent victims killed, or the imprisonment and killing of thousands of its own people who were peacefully protesting, or the repeated enrichment of uranium at levels close to 90% purity for nuclear weapons or repeatedly denying access to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to suspect nuclear sites in Iran. There was no attempt by Mr. Pezeshkian to deny these allegations or justify Iran’s sick behavior, or to concede that Iran’s leadership will address these accusations and change its behavior. Rather, it was a recitation of how the U.S. leadership had a “bullying mentality”.Mr. Pezeshkian could have talked about reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the bombing of the infrastructure, airports, and civilian areas in neighboring countries. He could have attempted to justify why Iran was militarily striking out at these neighboring countries, when Iran’s adversaries were the U.S. and Israel.What’s vivid in the minds of most people is Iran’s brutal reaction to peaceful protests in Iran. The slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in 2022, when...