Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country “never” plotted to assassinate President-elect Trump, saying “we will never do it.”
Pezeshkian made the statement during an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt on Tuesday in Tehran. US intelligence officials had stated that Iran was exploring an attempt on Trump’s life before election day.
“This is another one of those plans that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia…Iran has never attempted nor plans to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know.”
“Are you saying there was never an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump?” Holt asked.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walks on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City. (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)
“None at all,” Pezeshkian responded. “We have never tried this to begin with and we never will.”
The statement comes as Trump special envoy for Ukraine and RussiaRetired. Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg recently stated that the United States must return to the policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran.
“For the United States, a policy of maximum pressure must be restored, and it must be restored with the help of the rest of the world, and that includes supporting the Iranian people and their aspirations for democracy,” Kellogg said.
IRAN EXPANDS CRITICAL ARMING CAPACITIES FOR USING NUCLEAR BOMB
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The retired lieutenant general said Iran’s development and acquisition of a nuclear weapon would be the most destabilizing development for the Middle East. Kellogg reminded the opposition group that then-President Trump walked away of the Iran nuclear deal during his first term, even with opposition from those who served in the first administration.
Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear dealduring his first term in 2018 and again applied crippling economic sanctions. While some, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, applauded the move, leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany urged the president to remain committed to the deal.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg speaks during a press conference at the White House in 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Kellog’s comments, made just days before Trump takes office for his second term, are another sign of how a second Trump administration will confront the threat posed by Iran in a new environment with much of the Middle East embroiled in conflict since the October 7 terrorist attack against Israel.
