Iran will not surrender in the war with the United States, but believes in diplomacy to try to end the conflict, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday.

The United States delegation walked out at the start of Pezeshkian’s speech. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war, has become a focus of tensions between Iran and the US.

“It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway. The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not lead to peace,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian addressed the 193-member General Assembly a day after US President Donald Trump spoke. Trump used his speech on Tuesday to make the case for his war on Iran, arguing he has prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and warning that he could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if no deal is reached to end the conflict.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, writing by Michelle Nichols, editing by Howard Goller)