Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks on the CNN tv, throughout his official go to in New York, United States on September 24, 2024.
Iranian Presidency | Anadolu | Getty Pictures
Iran “by no means” plotted to assassinate Donald Trump throughout final yr’s U.S. election marketing campaign, President Masoud Pezeshkian informed NBC Information’ Lester Holt in an unique interview in Tehran.
Requested in regards to the reported plot in opposition to Trump outlined by U.S. authorities, Pezeshkian stated: “That is one other a kind of schemes that Israel and different nations are designing to advertise Iranophobia. … Iran has by no means tried to nor does it plan to assassinate anybody. Not less than so far as I do know.”
Holt then requested Pezeshkian: “You are saying there was by no means an Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump?”
“None by any means,” Pezeshkian replied.
Requested if Iran is keen to vow that there will likely be no try on Trump’s life, Pezeshkian stated, “Now we have by no means tried this to start with and we by no means will.”
The interview is the Iranian president’s first with overseas media for the reason that U.S. presidential election. It was carried out with a authorities interpreter current and translating in actual time. NBC Information reviewed the interpretation independently, and the place there are discrepancies this text depends on the unbiased translation.
In November, the Justice Department charged an Iranian man in an alleged murder-for-hire effort to kill Trump when he was the Republican Celebration presidential candidate. Two others had been charged for allegedly planning to kill an Iranian American journalist and activist who has criticized the Iranian authorities over its remedy of girls.
U.S. authorities stated the plot was a part of Iran’s efforts to avenge the loss of life of a prime Iranian basic, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in Baghdad in a U.S. drone strike ordered by Trump throughout his first time period in workplace.
In mid-October of final yr, Iran despatched a written message by way of Swiss diplomats saying that it could not search to kill Trump, in keeping with a U.S. official, NBC News previously reported.
U.S. and European governments say Iran for years has sought to silence Iranians overseas who’ve criticized the regime.
The UK final yr summoned Iran’s prime diplomat in London after Iranian journalists primarily based in Britain had been focused for intimidation by Tehran. One journalist was stabbed within the leg in an assault blamed on Iran. Tehran denies the accusations.
NBC Nightly Information will air a full report later Tuesday on the interview, which coated a variety of points, together with the continuing struggle within the Center East, Iran’s proxy forces within the area, girls’s rights inside Iran and its nuclear program.
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