Pezeshkian says Iran open to nuclear inspections, denies Trump plot
Iran's president says Tehran wants to revive its ceasefire understanding with Washington before the November midterms
Published
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is open to inspections of its nuclear facilities. He denied that Tehran is seeking to assassinate President Donald Trump or his family. Pezeshkian said Iran wants to revive its ceasefire memorandum of understanding with the United States before the November midterm elections, and does not want talks delayed until after the vote.
The memorandum, struck in Islamabad, has stalled. An Israeli official has said the chance of a US-Iran deal is small, even as the two sides discuss a phased plan to lift the blockade and reopen the strait. Trump's push for cooperation with Iran has faced skepticism from Israeli officials and has yet to show signs of traction.
Other governments have weighed in. Xi Jinping said during his Washington state visit that China backs a US-Iran return to the Islamabad memorandum. In Washington, the Senate rejected a resolution that would have required congressional approval for US military action against Iran, with John Fetterman the only Democrat voting against it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian people will be free one day, as tensions between Israel and Iran stay high, with Israeli officials describing future strikes as inevitable and the UAE having suspended Iranian airline flights.
Pezeshkian's willingness to reopen talks before November and submit to inspections moderates the near-term escalation risk that has dominated the geopolitical premium in markets. Diplomatic language from Tehran creates room for negotiation that Trump appears willing to pursue, shifting the baseline from assumed military action toward conditional de-escalation. That shift, if it holds, reduces tail risk for oil and for longer-duration assets.