Could Pezeshkian be arrested? — IRGC operation...

Amid Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to New York to attend the session of the UN General Assembly, statements suggesting that he could be arrested in the United States have come to the fore. Iranian parliamentarian Qasem Ravanbakhsh has not ruled out the possibility of Pezeshkian being detained on US soil and said this could have negative political consequences for Iran.

The lawmaker also commented on a possible meeting between Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump. He claimed that such a meeting could be canceled at the last minute or that the United States could impose certain conditions.

Ravanbakhsh made the remarks at a time when diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States are continuing. But could Pezeshkian’s arrest in the United States be considered a realistic scenario?

Speaking to TodayPress TV on the issue, Tamilla Gulami, a member of the governing board of the Umid Party, provided her assessment.

According to her, Qasem Ravanbakhsh’s statement could be viewed primarily as an attempt to reinforce the image of an external enemy within Iran:

“However, this view was expressed at a very inappropriate time. The very fact that Pezeshkian traveled to New York shows that Washington has no intention of arresting him. On the contrary, the Trump administration agreed to issue visas for the Iranian president and foreign minister to attend the UN General Assembly and justified this by referring to the obligations undertaken by the United States as the host country of the United Nations. Perhaps this would be welcomed by Iran’s IRGC regime, but America would not take such a step against Pezeshkian. At least at the negotiating table, everyone is aware of Pezeshkian’s position on confrontation.”

Tamilla Gulami added that Trump having Pezeshkian arrested in New York could also have serious political consequences:

“First of all, I should note that this would deal a serious blow to the diplomatic status of the UN General Assembly and to the obligations undertaken by the United States as the host country. Such an absurd step would also completely shut down the diplomatic channels Washington is pursuing with Tehran in parallel and weaken the prospects for negotiations aimed at ending the war. Yet it appears that contacts between the sides through intermediaries are continuing today, and Trump has also indicated that he expects certain results from negotiations.

“The main issue, however, is that although Trump is pursuing a policy of intense pressure in relations with Iran, he has always been a figure who distinguishes between toughness and diplomacy. Pezeshkian’s presence on US soil gives Washington an opportunity to convey a direct political message to the Iranian leadership, hear his position before an international audience and keep the channel open for possible negotiations. Against this backdrop, why would the United States itself take the first step toward creating a political crisis?”

The analyst described Ravanbakhsh’s remarks as absurd and inappropriate.

“In principle, allowing Pezeshkian to travel to New York is an important factor indicating that Washington has not chosen such a confrontation at this stage,” T. Qulami concluded.

Giymat Mahir