Pezeshkian would not dodge Trump at UN, lawmaker says

An Iranian lawmaker said on Tuesday that a meeting was being planned between President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump during the UN General Assembly in New York.

Bijan Nobaveh, a member of parliament from Tehran, told domestic media the talks would focus on resolving disputes over Iran’s uranium enrichment and missile programme.

Neither Iranian nor US officials have confirmed such a meeting.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned on Tuesday that Europe’s reimposition of sanctions on Iran would lead to a “dangerous dead end” and risk destabilizing the Middle East.

Speaking to Asharq News on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Hussein described renewed sanctions as harsh.

“Mounting pressure over the Palestinian issue and the wider Middle East adds to the strain on Iran, which could trigger major problems,” he said.

He added that Israeli threats toward Tehran “could further escalate tensions and create serious challenges.”

On Iraq, Hussein said the country’s geography and airspace had become a “battlefield” in the confrontation between Iran and Israel, but voiced hope that diplomacy could help ease the crisis.

Iran’s government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Tuesday that Tehran has presented a “logical, balanced and reasonable” proposal to European powers to prevent the activation of the UN snapback sanctions mechanism.

“We welcome any opportunity for dialogue, but dialogue is a two-way act, not dictating terms,” Mohajerani told reporters in Tehran.

She accused European states of failing to offset the impact of US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying Iran had faced “severe pressures” as a result.

Mohajerani added that Tehran’s missile program and defense capabilities would not be subject to negotiations. “We do not seek anyone’s permission to defend our people. Security is not for sale, and missiles are part of that security,” she said.

Mohajerani added that Iran’s inventory of highly enriched uranium is buried under rubble following US and Israeli strikes on the country's nuclear facilities in June.

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An Iranian newspaper affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday dismissed suggestions by reformist figures that President Masoud Pezeshkian should meet US President Donald Trump during his trip to New York, calling the idea “foolish.”

Javan daily wrote that believing a handshake or meeting could end US hostility toward Iran reflected “stupidity and flawed analysis” or a lack of understanding of America’s “imperialist nature.”

It added that Pezeshkian was “too intelligent to pay attention to such discordant tunes.”

Iran’s hardline Kayhan daily, overseen by a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said on Tuesday that “the shadow of war will never be lifted by negotiations,” citing Israeli media and officials.

“The experience of the 12-day war showed that Iran-US talks not only failed to prevent a military attack but in fact aided surprise and became part of the assault,” the paper wrote.

In response to calls by some Iranian figures for President Masoud Pezeshkian to meet Donald Trump during his trip to the United States, Kayhan added that Pezeshkian was “a resilient personality who naturally has no inclination toward political showmanship in New York, though some with special motives in his circle are trying to make this trip exceptional.”