Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sat down with journalists at the Millennium Hilton hotel in New York, where he is visiting with the protection of the US Secret Service. Pezeshkian repeated familiar Iranian positions on the war with the US, its nuclear program, and dissent in Iran. He also discussed the effect of sanctions on the Iranian people and claimed Iran would never try to kill Donald Trump.
Pezeshkian described recent meetings with Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the outset of the war. Pezeshkian said Khamenei was "quite healthy" and that their most recent in-person meeting had taken place around one month ago and lasted around seven hours. US intelligence assesses that despite his injuries, Khamenei is still playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials.
The Iranian president's presence in the US is unprecedented, given that Iran and the US are at war. Pezeshkian and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefed reporters in a hotel function room in Midtown Manhattan. A State Department official said the visiting Iranian delegates were "being admitted to the United States strictly for the purpose of representing the Islamic Republic of Iran before the United Nations."
Pezeshkian denied accusations that Iran was trying to kill Trump, saying it has "never been the position [of the Iranian government], overtly or covertly, to seek to assassinate Trump or his family members." The US Secret Service said it was aware of a video aired by Iran's state broadcaster appearing to threaten the life of Barron Trump, the president's youngest son.
The Iranian president also discussed the domestic challenges facing Iran, including the impact of US sanctions and the ongoing war on the country's economy. Pezeshkian said Iran wants a deal, but that any agreement was not related to the timing of the US midterms. Separately, Araghchi said Iran had presented a proposal to the US that would re-open the Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations toward a "final deal."
The proposal, presented to the US through mediators, calls for the US to meet certain conditions within seven days to restart the talks and re-open the strait. Araghchi declined to elaborate on the conditions but said that they were "nothing more" than what was included in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. A White House official said they were having "positive and constructive discussions through the mediators."
Pezeshkian appeared confident that Iran would prevail despite the challenges facing his country. He also insisted that US bases in the region were legitimate targets as they had been used to attack Iran. Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases across the Middle East region during the war's first months, according to a Pentagon watchdog report.
Key points
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denies Iran is trying to kill Donald Trump.
- Pezeshkian describes Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as "quite healthy" despite speculation about his health.
- Iran presents proposal to US to re-open Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations.
