Mediators spent Tuesday walking between two delegations at the United Nations, and by evening US envoy Steve Witkoff could say only that a round of talks had been completed “that we hope will prove constructive and promising.” No breakthrough was reported.
It was the first contact between Washington and Tehran since a ceasefire collapsed in June. Qatar mediated, and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, took part. Iranian state TV confirmed he met Witkoff. Accounts differ on how direct the contact was: Witkoff said on X that the talks ran “through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day.” President Donald Trump said Witkoff and Jared Kushner had a three-hour meeting with the Iranian delegation, which he called “very productive.” Al Jazeera reported the White House later clarified that Trump himself was not in the room.
Threat from the podium
The talks fell on the day Trump addressed the General Assembly. He spent much of the speech defending the war, arguing it had kept Tehran from a nuclear weapon, then put the choice bluntly. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” he asked. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly?” He said he expected a deal to come right after November’s congressional elections.
Iran’s armed forces headquarters answered that the threats showed “strategic weakness” and promised “more severe, crushing, and unpredictable blows.” Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran passed its conditions to a Qatari mediator in New York: an end to the war on all fronts and to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian state media added that Tehran wanted frozen assets released.
Hormuz at the centre
The war began on 28 February, when the US and Israel struck Iran. Iran hit back at Israel, US bases in the Gulf and Arab allies of Washington, and blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait, and its closure has sent prices swinging.
Reuters cited a senior Iranian official saying Tehran could reopen the strait within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted the blockade. Qatar said it was working with Pakistan to reduce tensions and protect navigation, and its prime minister met Araghchi in New York.
Since the ceasefire broke down, the two sides have traded fire on and off. Iran has attacked vessels it says crossed the strait without authorisation; the US has hit Iranian sites there and tankers off the Iranian coast. No follow-up meeting has been announced.
Sources
- U.S. and Iran Hold First Talks Since June
- US and Iran Hold Mediated UN Talks in New York as Trump Threatens Annihilate Iran: how 19 outlets framed it | NewsCord
- US and Iran hold first talks since June after Trump's 'annihilation' threat
