Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated in New York that Tehran wants Washington to revive a June memorandum of understanding on a temporary ceasefire before November’s midterm elections. Pezeshkian countered Donald Trump’s claim that Iran is waiting until after the polls to settle the conflict, while also indicating openness to nuclear facility inspections.
Rejecting comments made earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump, Pezeshkian made it clear that Tehran hopes to secure an arrangement with Washington well before American voters head to the polls in November.
Pushing Past the U.S. Midterm Timeline
The diplomatic friction centers on differing views of when a settlement might occur. According to Trump, Donald Trump stated that they are waiting to see how he does in the midterm election.
Pezeshkian countered that narrative directly during his remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the UN assembly. He insisted that Iran wants a resolution sooner rather than later, pointing directly to a failed diplomatic framework from earlier in the year.
Masoud Pezeshkian stated that they did not want it to get to the midterm elections and added that they wished Americans would return to the MOU before the midterms.
Pezeshkian specified that Tehran wants Washington to return to a June memorandum of understanding that had previously laid out a framework for a temporary ceasefire before those negotiations ultimately collapsed. While both nations remain divided over Iran’s nuclear program and the parameters of a lasting settlement, Pezeshkian maintained that Tehran stays willing to negotiate as long as the country is not cornered by military pressure. Trump has frequently asserted that U.S. military action is designed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Nuclear Inspections and Indirect Talks in New York
Amid the political posturing, Pezeshkian opened a potential door for technical cooperation by telling reporters that Iran remains open
to inspections of its nuclear facilities. Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear activities are strictly for peaceful purposes, though significant gaps still separate Washington and the Iranian government.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held lengthy indirect talks with Iranian officials in New York on Tuesday. Witkoff later characterized the discussions using positive terms, describing them as constructive and promising.
Denial of Assassination Plots Involving Trump
Beyond the nuclear file, Pezeshkian addressed serious security allegations leveled by American authorities. U.S. officials have previously accused Iranian operatives of involvement in plots targeting Trump and Iranian-American critics of Tehran. Those allegations are tied to Iran’s stated objective to avenge the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, a senior Iranian commander who died in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump during his first presidential term.
Pezeshkian explicitly rejected any state involvement in threats against the former president or his family. Masoud Pezeshkian stated that it had not been the position of the Iranian government that they sought to assassinate President Trump or his family members, he told reporters in New York.
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