Rumours are swirling around the halls of power in Tehran late on September 21 as several Iranian political figures urge President Masoud Pezeshkian to meet with US President Donald Trump on his upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.

Mohammad Atrianfar told local Entekhab that if Pezeshkian secures necessary approvals from the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he could have a direct meeting with Trump in New York.

If backed by the clerical leadership, such a meeting could mark a turning point in Iran's negotiating tradition with the West and serve national interests which has so far attempted to avoid any direct public talks with the Trump administration since it was returned to power in 2024. Atrianfar said that America would recognise that such negotiations were conducted with the Supreme Leader's approval and could prove fruitful.

Former parliamentary deputy speaker Ali Motahari suggested the Foreign Minister should hold talks with three European countries about Iran's latest proposal during the trip, something which has now been confirmed by IRGC-linked Tasnim late on September 21.

“If Trump requests a meeting with Pezeshkian, he should accept despite Trump's hypocrisy and lies, due to national interests,” Motahari said. He argued that “Trump's self-centred personality and desire to claim credit for everything might work in Iran's favour.”

Gholamhossein Karbaschi, secretary-general of the Executives of Construction Party, referenced former President (and the last person to have low key direct long term relations with the US, see Iran-Contra) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's historical role in ending the Iran-Iraq War, saying Pezeshkian should play a similar role.

He advised the president to meet with the leadership and obtain full authority; otherwise, the New York trip would be pointless. Karbaschi said if Pezeshkian wants to leave a good name in history, the time has come.

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, former head of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, warned that meeting Trump without a specific agreement or protocol would lead to humiliation.

He said that Iran-US diplomatic prospects are so unclear that even a meeting between Abbas Aragchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff would be difficult to imagine. Unlike last year's trip by Hassan Rouhani, nobody is signalling to Pezeshkian this time, but recent talks in the UK between Trump and the British Prime Minister may be laying the groundwork for a future meeting between the leaders.

However, not everyone is on board. Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament's National Security Committee, advised Pezeshkian not to travel to New York this year, or to keep any trip brief and concise based on last year's experience.

Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 24 as part of his first major international trip since taking office.

On the sidelines of the meetings in New York, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghci is also expected to meet with British, French and German officials over the ongoing dispute mechanism as part of the ongoing JCPOA deal dated a decade ago,  IntelliNews (Pro) previously reported on September 21.