The United States and Iran have held hours of diplomatic discussions through mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with conflicting accounts over whether American and Iranian officials met directly. According to Al Jazeera, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators moved between the……
The United States and Iran have held hours of diplomatic discussions through mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with conflicting accounts over whether American and Iranian officials met directly.
According to Al Jazeera, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators moved between the two delegations throughout Tuesday as the talks continued.
“Today, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, we engaged in lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day,” Witkoff said in a post on X.
“They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising. The mediators will continue their work.”
US President Donald Trump, however, offered a different account, saying Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held a three-hour meeting with Iranian officials.
“They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting,” Trump told reporters at the UN, adding that he believed there was “a lot of momentum” towards an agreement.
Trump later said negotiations were still ongoing and expressed his belief that a settlement would eventually be reached.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, said Trump’s initial remarks caused confusion over which US officials had participated in the discussions. She reported that the White House later clarified that Trump was not present and that Witkoff and Kushner represented the American side.
From Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reported that Iranian state media had confirmed a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff, marking contact after weeks without direct engagement.
“This latest meeting was held at the request and insistence of the American side, and was aimed at conveying Iran’s messages and conditions, particularly around reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” Asadi reported.
Iranian state media said Tehran’s conditions included lifting the US naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on what it describes as the “resistance” fronts.
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Asadi also reported that an Iranian security source told Al Jazeera that there could be room for additional diplomatic engagement if Washington met Iran’s conditions and commitments.
The latest contacts followed comments by a senior Iranian official to Reuters that Tehran’s delegation in New York had full authority to pursue diplomacy.
The official described the UN gathering as a “golden opportunity” for Washington to return to negotiations, adding that Iran had transmitted its latest proposal to the US through mediators on September 16.
According to the official, possible terms for an agreement to end hostilities could be discussed in New York.
The Iranian official also said Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.
Regional powers push for de-escalation
The diplomatic contacts have taken place alongside efforts by Gulf and other regional powers to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Qatar said it was working with Pakistan to ease tensions, protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and promote regional stability.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, also met Araghchi in New York on Tuesday.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting focused on regional developments, efforts to de-escalate tensions and ways of creating conditions for dialogue.
Oman has also played a role in maritime diplomacy surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, having previously held discussions with Tehran on arrangements aimed at facilitating navigation through the waterway.
Trump also met leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council states, Turkiye, Jordan, Syria and Iraq on Tuesday to discuss Iran and wider regional security.
Reuters reported that a Qatari proposal for a common security framework involving Iran and Gulf states was among the issues under consideration, with a regional source saying Tehran was reviewing the proposal.
Qatar has not publicly released details of the proposed framework.
Talks follow Trump’s warning
The latest diplomatic contacts came hours after Trump used his UNGA address to link the possibility of an agreement with a warning of further military escalation.
Trump said he faced a “big decision” between reaching a deal that would allow Iran to rebuild and moving to “annihilate the Islamic Republic”.
He also said Washington had previously offered Tehran “full economic cooperation” in exchange for ending its nuclear programme and what the US describes as Iranian support for terrorism.
Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces and Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters responded in a statement carried by Iranian media, describing Trump’s threats as evidence of “strategic weakness” and saying Iran was prepared to deliver “more severe, crushing, and unpredictable blows” in response to further attacks.
US officials have continued to indicate that negotiations have made progress following the collapse of the June memorandum of understanding.
In early August, Trump said the two sides had reached parameters for a possible agreement and later described discussions over the Strait of Hormuz as “moving along nicely”, although major differences remained.
Earlier this month, Trump again said he hoped the war was “towards the end”.
Tehran, however, continues to make the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz conditional on Washington easing military pressure and lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.
Witkoff said mediators would continue their diplomatic efforts following Tuesday’s exchanges.
