WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, marking an unexpected diplomatic contact as the war between the two countries continues.
Trump told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Iranian officials during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York. He provided few details about the participants or the substance of the discussions.
“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said, while later acknowledging that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.”
Witkoff said on X that the discussions took place through mediators who moved between the U.S. and Iranian negotiating teams. He said he was hopeful the talks would prove constructive.
The meeting came only hours after Trump delivered a forceful address to the U.N. General Assembly in which he defended his decision to launch the war against Iran and warned that he faced a major decision over whether to pursue an agreement or escalate the conflict.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. He said a potential deal could allow Iran to rebuild, but also threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if an agreement was not reached.
Months of stalled communication
The latest engagement follows months of limited U.S.-Iran communication after a short-lived ceasefire brokered in June collapsed.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators separately held talks with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha in early July as part of efforts to find a diplomatic path forward.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Tuesday that Trump remained open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while both leaders were in New York for the General Assembly.
Rubio said Trump believes that engagement can be important even when negotiations do not result in an agreement.
Trump also met Tuesday with senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — as well as Jordan to discuss the war in Iran.
Iran war dominates UN gathering
The conflict between Washington and Tehran has become one of the central issues at this year's General Assembly, alongside wars and crises in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan and elsewhere.
Trump called on Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations to find a settlement. The strategically important waterway has become a major source of concern for global energy markets amid the conflict.
In his speech, Trump defended his administration's military campaign and argued that continued pressure on Iran was necessary. Iran's delegation largely walked out of the General Assembly chamber while Trump criticized the Iranian government.
The reported meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials does not establish that the two sides have reached an agreement. Witkoff's comments indicated that discussions were continuing through intermediaries, while Trump has not disclosed specific terms or outcomes from the meeting.
The development nevertheless places diplomacy alongside military pressure at the center of Washington's approach to the conflict, with the next steps likely to depend on whether indirect talks produce a framework acceptable to both sides.