# The Pezeshkian invitation > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "The Pezeshkian invitation," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-pezeshkian-invitation/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *The invitation John Kiriakou disclosed in September 2025 to meet the Iranian president in New York during the UN General Assembly, as one of six people asked, an invitation he says he accepted without asking what it was about.* - **Who invited him:** Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian - **Where:** New York, on his arrival for the UN General Assembly - **How many were invited:** Six - **Others Kiriakou named:** Medea Benjamin, Max Blumenthal, and one other he named as Andy Shal - **His answer:** Yes, "I didn't even ask what he wanted to talk about" - **Status at the time of the broadcast:** No date or time fixed yet - **Disclosure:** "I've not said this publicly, but I'm going to say it now" **The Pezeshkian invitation** is a meeting John Kiriakou disclosed on the DeProgram programme in September 2025, in the middle of an argument that diplomatic recognition should not be treated as a reward.[1] ## The disclosure Kiriakou flagged that he was breaking news about himself: *"I'm proud to say, I've not said this publicly, but I'm going to say it now, I'm one of six people who has been invited to meet with Iranian President Pezeshkian in New York when he arrives for the UN General Assembly."*[1] ## The acceptance His answer had already been given, and given without conditions: *"And I said yes. I didn't even ask what he wanted to talk about."*[1] He describes himself as looking forward to it, *"I'm excited about it"*, and urged by the host to try to secure an interview, treated the idea as costless: *"the worst that could happen is that he says no."*[1] ## The other guests The arrangements were unfinished at the time of the broadcast. *"I heard back from them again today. They said that they don't yet have a date or a time, but there are six of us that he wants to talk to."*[2] Kiriakou named three of the others: *"Medea Benjamin is one. Max Blumenthal is one. Andy Shal is one. Me, and I don't know who the other two are."*[2] The list is his own and he does not claim it is complete or that he was told the basis on which it was drawn. ## The argument it came out of The disclosure follows directly from a position Kiriakou had just stated in general terms: that the United States should maintain relations with every country willing to have them, and that withholding recognition is a self-inflicted obstacle rather than a sanction. *"Let the diplomats do what they're paid to do, to carry out diplomacy. We should have relations with everybody. We really should."*[3] He supported it with [his own experience of obtaining an Iranian visa](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-iranian-interest-section) through a third country's embassy, for want of any direct channel.[4] ## See also - [The Iranian Interest Section](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-iranian-interest-section) - [2026 Iran war](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/2026-iran-war) - [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) ## Sources 1. DeProgram Show with Ted Ra (2025-09-04), at 1:08:16. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPfeItwnb4&t=4096s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-04-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra/ 2. DeProgram Show with Ted Ra (2025-09-04), at 1:08:47. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPfeItwnb4&t=4127s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-04-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra/ 3. DeProgram Show with Ted Ra (2025-09-04), at 1:07:15. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPfeItwnb4&t=4035s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-04-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra/ 4. DeProgram Show with Ted Ra (2025-09-04), at 1:07:45. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPfeItwnb4&t=4065s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-09-04-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/the-pezeshkian-invitation/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt