Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian wants Washington to revive the collapsed June ceasefire memorandum before the November midterm elections and says Tehran is open to inspections of its nuclear facilities. The remarks counter President Trump's claim that Iran is stalling, as negotiators in New York weigh a phased deal on Hormuz and the US blockade.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran wants the US to return to its June ceasefire memorandum before the November midterm elections, speaking to NBC News and other outlets on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He said Iran does not want the matter to drag on until the vote and hopes Washington acts before then.
A collapsed ceasefire and a stalemate
The memorandum dates to June, when it set out a temporary ceasefire between the two countries. That arrangement later collapsed, and the nearly seven-month conflict has since settled into a stalemate, with Iran keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and the US maintaining an economic blockade of Iran.
Pezeshkian's comments directly counter President Trump, who said on Tuesday that he believed Tehran was stalling on a deal until after the elections to see how he fares at the polls. By putting a pre-midterm timeline on the table himself, Pezeshkian appears to be trying to shift the blame for any delay back onto Washington.
Nuclear inspections and a phased Hormuz deal
Pezeshkian also said Iran is open to inspections of its nuclear facilities, a potentially significant signal since nuclear oversight has long been central to US demands. He also denied that his government had sought to assassinate Trump or members of his family.
Negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path under which Iran would reopen Hormuz and the US would lift its blockade. Both sides remain wary of giving up leverage: an Iranian official has called US demands excessive, while a European official described Iran's list of requests as very long.
The diplomatic signals carry weight for oil markets, which have reacted to both missile and diplomatic headlines through the conflict. Traders are watching for concrete steps on Hormuz or the blockade rather than statements of intent, with the midterm election on 3 November 2026 now acting as a deadline for both sides.
Until either side moves first on Hormuz or the blockade, Pezeshkian's words amount to an opening offer rather than a breakthrough.
Source: Investinglive
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