Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
Iran’s president has denied allegations of plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, dismissing them as baseless claims designed to foster “Iranophobia” and strain US-Iran relations further.
Some shit you should know before you read: For years, the US intelligence community has foiled Iranian plots targeting American officials, including a high-profile effort to kill President Donald Trump in retaliation for his 2020 decision to order the drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. The Justice Department has charged multiple Iranian operatives in a murder-for-hire scheme to assassinate Trump and other senior officials involved in Soleimani’s death. Other US officials, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor John Bolton, have also faced threats from Iranian actors. Adding to these tensions, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) previously released a propaganda video depicting a fictional drone strike targeting Trump while golfing, which was widely interpreted as a symbolic threat of retaliation.

What’s going on now: In an interview with NBC News, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied any involvement in a plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, calling the allegations a fabrication designed to stoke “Iranophobia.” When asked about the accusations, Pezeshkian stated, “This is another one of those schemes that Israel and other countries are designing to promote Iranophobia. Iran has never attempted to nor does it plan to assassinate anyone. At least as far as I know.” He added, “We have never attempted this to begin with, and we never will.”
Pezeshkian also expressed a willingness to engage with Trump’s incoming administration, signaling Iran’s openness to diplomacy. “The problem we have is not in dialogue,” he said, “It’s in the commitments that arise from talk and dialogue that we’ll have to commit to.” He pointed to past negotiations, such as the 2015 nuclear deal, as an example of Iran honoring its promises only to be met with US withdrawals and sanctions.
While Pezeshkian voiced doubts about whether the US would honor future agreements, he reiterated Iran’s interest in resolving disputes diplomatically, stating, “We solemnly hope that this will not transpire into conflict because it will be to the detriment of all the actors, not only and merely us.”
This all comes as Iran faces significant pressure on multiple fronts, with its regional influence weakening and its economy in turmoil. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria, a close ally of Tehran, has dealt a major blow to Iran’s “axis of resistance,” while Israeli military operations have significantly diminished Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Iran’s struggling economy, already crippled by years of US sanctions, continues to struggle with inflation and unemployment, further limiting the regime’s ability to fund its proxies and exert influence in the region. President Trump has vowed to escalate sanctions during his second term, bringing back a renewed campaign of “maximum pressure” that threatens to isolate Tehran even further and deepen its economic crisis.