Could Pezeshkian Meet Trump in New York?
A member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says Tehran could agree to such a meeting if Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approved it.
Remarks by Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, have raised the possibility of a meeting in New York between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
The possibility comes amid accelerating diplomatic activity on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly aimed at finding a way to end the continuing war between the two countries.
Ardestani said on Wednesday that a meeting remained possible. He referred to a previous attempt last year, when Pezeshkian arrived for a scheduled meeting with the US president in New York, but Trump did not attend.
The lawmaker noted that such decisions were not made by the Iranian government alone.
He explained that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view, would have the final say on any decision to accept a direct meeting with Trump.
Talk of a possible meeting comes as indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington intensify in New York.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings.
Iranian state media reported that the discussions addressed Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Washington, meanwhile, spoke of extensive contacts between the two sides through intermediaries.
The Araghchi-Witkoff meeting could serve as a preliminary step to test whether indirect contacts can be elevated to a higher political level.
The process could eventually lead to a meeting between Pezeshkian and Trump if the necessary conditions were met and all parties demonstrated a willingness to proceed.
Several countries, including Qatar and Pakistan, are pressing for the negotiating process to be relaunched.
Doha has said its mediation efforts have continued for several weeks with the aim of narrowing the differences between Tehran and Washington and creating the conditions required for talks to resume.
A direct meeting between the two presidents, if arranged, could establish a high-level political channel for addressing the issues that have prevented the resumption of negotiations.
It could also help mediators narrow the gap between the two sides and move discussions toward an understanding that would reduce escalation and pave the way for an end to the war.
An Iranian official previously said that a proposal to end hostilities had been conveyed to Washington through intermediaries last week.
Tehran also confirmed that its delegation in New York had the authority to pursue the diplomatic process.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the principal issues under negotiation.
Iran has linked its reopening to a reduction in US military pressure and the lifting of the naval blockade.
Tehran has also demanded the release of its frozen assets and an end to the war on all fronts as conditions for re-engaging in negotiations.
Iran had previously conveyed these demands through Qatari mediators as part of regional efforts to prevent a renewed escalation.
Despite the emergence of new communication channels, the two sides remain far apart over the form and substance of any potential settlement.
The diplomatic activity in New York reflects an attempt to capitalize on the presence of senior Iranian and US officials in the same city and transform contacts conducted through intermediaries into a more direct political process.
In separate remarks, Ardestani also sparked controversy regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
He expressed support for Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon and criticized repeated calls to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons before the country had obtained a nuclear capability.
His position reflects the extent of the hard-line opposition that any negotiating process could face within Iran.
