TEHRAN — Esmaeil Kowsari, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has described US President Donald Trump’s remarks against Iran at the UN General Assembly as “political bluffing and psychological warfare,” saying there will be no meeting between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Kowsari said Trump’s rhetoric against Iran was part of an attempt to undermine the morale of the opposing side.

“When a gambler loses the game, he usually talks more, makes threats and boasts, and tries in some way to weaken the morale of his opponent,” Kowsari said, adding that Iran had become familiar with such tactics over the past 48 years.

He said the United States, Israel and European countries had repeatedly employed similar methods against Iran, adding: “They say whatever comes out of their mouths; therefore, the listener must be discerning.”

The lawmaker said Trump had failed in his confrontation with Iran, despite having portrayed himself as a superpower and seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic within four days.

Kowsari also described US actions in the region as part of psychological warfare, arguing that if Washington had the capability to defeat Iran, it would not allow the country “a moment of peace.”

Referring to US meetings with the countries of the southern Persian Gulf, he said Washington was seeking to pressure and intimidate them once again, but argued that the United States no longer had the capacity to take significant military action in the region.

The parliamentarian also referred to the conflict involving Yemen, saying Saudi Arabia, despite the vast sums it had spent on defense and security, was now “stuck in a quagmire” and had largely resorted to airstrikes against Yemen.

“Those bombings have produced no results,” he said.

Kowsari said Trump was seeking to portray himself as the victor in order to prevent domestic pressure in the United States from increasing further. He also accused Washington of attempting to create divisions among Iran’s armed forces, officials and people to exploit those divisions in future actions.

Referring to Iran’s defense capabilities, he said: “Where did these missiles come from? Where did these drones come from? Where did these air-defense systems come from?” Kowsari argued that Iran’s military capabilities were the result of planning and development under sanctions.

Kowsari further said Trump was seeking to use his appearance at the UN General Assembly to project the image that the United States remained a superpower. He added that Washington was still seeking to extract economic and political benefits from some countries in the region.

Asked about Trump’s reported interest in meeting Pezeshkian, Kowsari said unequivocally that such a meeting would not take place.

“There will be no meeting with Trump,” he said, adding that Pezeshkian himself knew that such a meeting would not happen. Kowsari characterized Trump’s efforts to establish contact with the Iranian president as ‘a sign of US weakness.’
“The dignity of our president is far above this for him to meet or approach Trump,” Kowsari said.

Kowsari concluded by saying that Trump’s actions would not succeed in influencing the Iranian president. He argued that Trump should be put on trial and, if no venue existed for such a trial, said Iran should “take revenge” against him.