Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with US envoy Steve Witkoff in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, with Iran’s state broadcaster saying the meeting took place “at the insistence of the American side.”
According to the broadcaster, citing an unnamed source, Tehran agreed to the encounter so that Araghchi could present Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump later confirmed that Witkoff and Jared Kushner had met with Iranian mediators to discuss a potential agreement aimed at ending the conflict with Iran. Trump said the meeting lasted three hours and that another round of talks would be “scheduled in the very near future.”
The President described the discussions as a “very good” and “very productive meeting.”
“The mediators were here. Not the highest level, but it’s something,” Trump said. “A lot of good thoughts and a lot of things are working out very well.”
“They had a very good meeting, and we’ll see how it turns out,” Trump added during separate appearances at the General Assembly. “Certainly, it’s to their advantage to make a deal. If we can do that, it’s preferable I guess.”
Commenting on the talks to Axios, Witkoff said that the talks between the US and Iranian delegations were indirect, with mediators shuttling between the two sides throughout the day.
“They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising,” Witkoff said, according to Axios, adding that the mediators would continue their work.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Trump would be willing to meet with the Iranian delegation during the UN gathering.
“I think the president is open to a meeting with him or anybody,” Rubio said, referring to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Trump used his UN General Assembly address earlier Tuesday to sharply criticize Iran and reiterate his opposition to the Islamic Republic obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“There is no better example of a danger that was allowed to gather strength at the world’s peril than the number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran. From the first day I entered the political arena, I have been unwavering – I will NEVER allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump said that after entering office he offered Tehran full economic cooperation in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program and support for terrorism, but claimed Iran rejected the offer. He also warned that Tehran had developed a missile capable of striking Europe.
“Iran has created a missile that will allow them to strike Europe,” Trump warned.
He added, “Their goal was to complete their mad race for nuclear arms behind the defense of ballistic missiles.”
Trump said he faces a major decision over the next steps against Iran and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached after the US midterm elections.
“I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness for generations? But I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election, because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election. What they don’t realize is that I’m not running. I did that already and won in a landslide.”