In a recent interview, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian firmly stated that his country has “never” conspired to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump during the previous U.S. election campaign, and has no intentions of doing so in the future.

This assertion comes just days before Trump’s anticipated return to the White House, countering earlier claims made by Trump and U.S. officials regarding an Iranian assassination plot. During his first term, Trump implemented a “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran, aiming to cripple its economy through increased sanctions to force Tehran into discussions about its nuclear and missile programs, along with other destabilizing activities in the region.

“This is merely another ploy crafted by Israel and other nations to foment Iranophobia,” Pezeshkian remarked to NBC News’ Lester Holt. “Iran has never aimed to assassinate anyone, nor does it intend to.”

In November, the U.S. Justice Department charged an Iranian national with alleged orders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill Trump when he was running as the Republican candidate. The plot against Trump’s life was reportedly intercepted before any action could take place. U.S. officials indicated this was part of Iran’s response to the killing of Qasem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian general, who died in a U.S. drone strike authorized by Trump. In September, while on the campaign trail, Trump suggested that Iran might have been involved in attempts on his life.

Since 1980, Iran and the U.S. have lacked formal diplomatic relations, a situation that began during a hostage crisis when Iranian students took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran, holding more than 50 Americans captive.

In October of the previous year, Iran’s government communicated in writing to the Biden administration, via Swiss diplomats, clarifying that it was not actively pursuing any plans to kill Trump. However, Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York declined to confirm or deny the details of that correspondence.