'Never been the position to assassinate Trump': Iran President Pezeshkian

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran would never seek to kill US President Donald Trump, despite Trump and US authorities accusing Tehran of plotting his assassination.A day after addressing the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s positions on the war, its nuclear programme and dissent in the country during a wide-ranging briefing.He rejected the assassination allegations, saying it has “never been the position (of the Iranian government), overtly or covertly, to seek to assassinate Trump or his family members.”Last month, the US Secret Service said it was aware of a video aired by Iran’s state broadcaster that appeared to threaten the life of Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son. The development came after Israel shared intelligence with the US indicating that Iran had devised a plan to assassinate Donald Trump, as cited by CNN.In late 2024, the US Justice Department announced federal charges over what it described as a thwarted Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election.Hard-line Iranian media have also repeatedly carried content threatening Trump and his family. During funeral events for the late Khamenei in July, regime loyalists were seen holding posters that read “Kill Trump.”Trump has publicly addressed the threats against his life, saying in July: “I’m on whatever list … so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people.”“The Iranian regime has murdered thousands of its own people, killed Americans overseas, executed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in response to Pezeshkian's comments.“The president is courageously ensuring that such an evil country never possesses a nuclear weapon, which will make the entire world safer and more stable,” Kelly said.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.