Trump Says U.S.–Iran Talks at U.N. Went Well; Tehran Lists Conditions to Reopen Hormuz

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent three hours with Iran’s United Nations delegation in New York, the first high-level contact since a June memorandum of understanding in Switzerland. “They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting,” Trump told reporters. He said another session was set for “the very near future” and that he heard “a lot of momentum” toward a deal. Speaking later with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky beside him, he framed Iran’s choice as “potential greatness, or obliteration.”

Witkoff’s account differed on format. In an X post he said the two sides “engaged in lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day.” “They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising. The mediators will continue their work.” Iranian officials said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took part and that Qatar mediated. Iranian state television said the United States requested the meeting and that Araghchi delivered Tehran’s terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz: immediate lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war “on all resistance fronts.”

A senior Iranian official told Reuters Tehran could reopen Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted the blockade of Iranian ports. The official said Iran had sent its latest proposal through mediators on Sept. 16 and called the General Assembly a “golden opportunity.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said earlier that the United States was open to talking “especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive.” No meeting between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was scheduled. Pezeshkian was slated to address the Assembly on Wednesday.

Hours before the talks, Trump told the General Assembly he had a “big decision to make”: a deal that would let Iran “rebuild and create a far greater country,” or to “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly.” He called Iran the bully of the Middle East and “the number one terror organisation on Earth.” Most of the Iranian delegation left the hall during the speech. He urged other nations to join the United States in isolating Iran’s economy and said there would come a point when it was “too late” to “let them survive as a nation.”

After the Iran contacts, Trump hosted an expanded sidelines meeting with Gulf and regional leaders on Iran and shipping security. Attendees included Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and Kuwait’s crown prince. Trump told them Witkoff and Kushner were respected in Tehran and that “that’s what we are hearing from everybody” about momentum for a deal. Reuters reported a Qatari proposal for a common security framework involving Iran and Gulf states was under review; Qatar has not released it publicly.

The war is approaching seven months. Trump said the Navy had cleared Iranian mines from Hormuz and was working to restore oil flows. No agreement was announced Tuesday. Both sides said talks would continue.