U.S. Envoys Hold Three-Hour Mediated Talks with Iran at U.N. After Trump’s “Annihilate” Warning

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three-hour mediated session with the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, just hours after he warned the Assembly he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if no deal is reached.

“It was a very good meeting,” Trump told reporters. He later described it as productive and said another meeting is scheduled for the near future. Witkoff posted that mediators shuttled between the sides throughout the day and that the round of discussions “we hope will prove constructive and promising.”

Iranian state media confirmed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi participated and said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz include immediate lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, payment of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war “on all resistance fronts.” Trump told Gulf leaders there is “a lot of momentum” toward a deal.

The talks mark the first sustained contact since a short-lived June memorandum. They follow Trump’s General Assembly address in which he framed the choice as allowing Iran to rebuild into “a far greater country” or driving the regime “into hell with no chance of survival.” He said he expects a deal after the Nov. 3 midterms because Iran is waiting to see the election outcome, noting he is not on the ballot.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately set a Wednesday deadline to ground Iranian airlines. CENTCOM continues enforcement of the blockade that has redirected more than 100 commercial ships. Trump has said he wants Gulf input before the next phase.

The engagement does not end the military or economic pressure. It does put named U.S. envoys, Iranian conditions, and a presidential assessment of momentum on the record the same day as the “annihilate” warning.