Trump Says US-Iran Talks Lasted Three Hours, Describes Meeting as Positive

NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump has said American and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, describing the talks as very good and productive.

Trump said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated in the discussions, adding that another meeting would take place in the near future. Witkoff later indicated that the discussions involved mediators shuttling between the US and Iranian sides.

The talks marked a new diplomatic contact between Washington and Tehran amid the continuing conflict and international efforts to find a path toward a settlement.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Trump said he believed an agreement with Iran could be reached, potentially after the US midterm elections, while also warning Tehran of severe consequences if no deal is reached.

He said Iran had a choice between reaching an agreement that would allow it to rebuild its economy and facing further US military action.

Trump also urged countries to support US efforts to economically isolate Iran and reiterated Washington’s opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

The Strait of Hormuz also featured prominently in the discussions surrounding the US-Iran conflict.

Iranian state media said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed Tehran’s conditions for reopening the strategic waterway, including lifting the US naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the conflict across all resistance fronts.

Trump has separately said the United States has been facilitating oil shipments through the waterway, while Iran has linked any reopening to changes in US military pressure and sanctions.

The latest talks suggest that diplomacy is continuing alongside the military and economic confrontation between the two sides.