Trump-Pezeshkian meeting appears almost off the table

The prospects of a meeting between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his US counterpart Donald Trump during the former’s visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York have now become almost negligible.

A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official, speaking exclusively to Geo News on condition of anonymity, said that despite the mixed messages being sent by the US president regarding a possible deal with Iran, Washington was in fact pursuing an aggressive policy.

The official said, “There isn't a possibility of his [Pezeshkian] meeting with Trump as Trump still takes up a tough and one-sided position on the current suggestions.”

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between the two presidents when President Pezeshkian prepared to leave for the United States, the same official had said: “I consider the likelihood of this happening to be very low.”

However, the prospect has now been described as almost entirely off the table.

Credible sources said President Pezeshkian is scheduled to depart on Sunday, while some countries are making efforts to arrange a one-on-one meeting between the two presidents before his departure.

They also said that if President Trump were to meet his Iranian counterpart at any stage, President Pezeshkian would require the approval and guidance of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

“Any decision on this matter falls solely within the authority of the supreme leader,” confirmed the source.

Diplomatic sources said Iran had already conveyed a seven-point peace proposal to the United States through one of the mediating countries, Qatar, ahead of President Pezeshkian’s visit to the United Nations. It was aimed at ending the war and sending a message to the international community that Iran sought peace.

Iran has now also presented, under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU), a roadmap for reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. However, the Trump administration has yet to respond to these proposals.

The latest suggestions have come at a time when President Trump claims that Iran is waiting to see how his Republican Party performs in the US midterm elections.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They are waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump claimed.

If Republicans lose control of both chambers of Congress, President Trump can face the prospect of impeachment proceedings initiated by Democrats over the Iran war.

Asked why peace talks are being delayed, President Pezeshkian made clear that Iran did not want the issue to be dragged out. He said, “We don’t want it to get to the midterm elections. We wish Americans to return to the MoU before the midterm.”

In an interview with US media, President Pezeshkian also stated unequivocally that Iran does not want war. In his own words, “We never initiated a war, but if they [US] wish to keep fighting with us, we will respond strongly and resolutely.”

President Pezeshkian also said, “Today the pressures that they keep imposing on us are to force us to surrender outside the legal framework of international law, which is impossible.”

He said Iran had made no demands outside the legal framework, adding that if the other side was prepared, Tehran wanted an agreement based on international law and under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Referring to the history and geography of this region, President Pezeshkian said, “The problem is that within the strait, those who have been responsible for a lifetime for a strait, they are forbidden to move their vessels through the waterway; then of course, we will not recognise that right for other vessels.”

Pointing out US attacks on Iran during previous negotiations and despite the Islamabad MoU, President Pezeshkian said: “If we’re unable to trust one another within the framework of a dialogue, how can we hope that these issues will ever be resolvable?”

The author is Controller News at Geo News. He posts on X at @NasimHaider2 and can be reached at [email protected]