US, Iran hold surprise talks through mediators as Tehran sets conditions to end war
Iranian officials confirmed that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took part in the talks, which were mediated by Qatari diplomats. Baghaei said Tehran also called for an end to the naval blockade and economic warfare, along with the release of Iranian assets, IRNA reported.
US President Donald Trump said US and Iranian officials held an unexpected meeting on Tuesday, even as he warned in his address to the UN General Assembly that he could “annihilate” Iran if a deal is not reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war. Trump said his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held talks with Iranian officials for about three hours on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X that the talks were conducted through mediators who shuttled between the US and Iranian teams. He said he felt “very good” about the meeting and was hopeful the effort “will prove constructive and promising. Iran conveyed several conditions during the talks, including an end to the war on all fronts and a halt to what Tehran described as US “acts of aggression,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state news agency IRNA. A senior Iranian official separately said Tehran was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if Washington took reciprocal steps to ease military and economic pressure on Iran, as cited by the Guardian.
Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said there was no contradiction between pursuing negotiations and continuing the war. Earlier reporting noted: Trump said it was “a very good meeting,” and further talks were set to take place in “the near future. Earlier reporting noted: An Iranian delegation held first direct talks with senior US officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, hours after American President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war. The US president said after his address that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met for about three hours with the Iranian officials on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders.
The position was also echoed by Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf in recent remarks to the Iranian parliament. He later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.
Earlier reporting noted: The unexpected engagement between the longtime enemies came as the Iranian delegation went to New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly.