Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardastani, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, pointed to the possibility of Massoud Pezeshkian meeting Donald Trump in New York, saying Pezeshkian had also decided on such a meeting last year and “showed up at the agreed time,” but the American side did not come to the meeting.

Bakhshayesh Ardastani told IranWatch: “In my opinion, the two presidents’ meeting will take place, because last year the president also decided to have a meeting, but they didn’t come.”

He added that despite what happened last year, he believes this time Pezeshkian and Trump’s meeting could be held and said that Trump’s wish was also to hold a meeting with the Iranian president.

The parliament member said Pezeshkian had made the decision to have such a meeting in advance, adding: “It’s not a bad thing for the Iranian president to hold a meeting with him,” even though, according to him, the nature of Iran-U.S. relations is “much more complex than that one meeting could solve problems.”

Bakhshayesh Ardastani also said that his understanding is that Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, had allowed Pezeshkian’s meeting with Trump last year.