US and Iran Hold First UN-Sideline Talks Since Summer After Trump Threat

US and Iranian officials held their first diplomatic contacts in months on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as President Donald Trump publicly framed the choice as a deal that would let Iran rebuild or else “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, according to the BBC. No breakthrough was reported from the Qatar-mediated shuttle between Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff — the first such track since a ceasefire arrangement earlier in the conflict unravelled.

Witkoff said a round of discussions had been completed “that we hope will prove constructive and promising,” the BBC reported, while Iranian officials repeated demands that Washington end what Tehran calls “acts of aggression.” Trump later told reporters that American officials had had a “very productive” multi-hour engagement with the Iranian delegation on the Assembly’s margins. Iranian state media confirmed Araghchi’s participation in the mediated channel; foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Qatar communicated Tehran’s conditions, including an end to the war on all fronts.

Channel NewsAsia reported the same opening with additional detail: Araghchi and US envoys Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated through mediators rather than sitting face-to-face, and Trump told reporters that “Steve and Jared had a very productive meeting today with mediators of Iran,” claiming momentum toward a deal. Iranian officials clarified to Reuters, as cited by CNA, that contacts were not direct; Araghchi met Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a central mediator in prior rounds.

The diplomatic window opened against a hardline backlash inside Iran. CNA noted that media associated with the Revolutionary Guards criticised Araghchi for engaging Witkoff and Kushner, and Iranian sources said the Supreme National Security Council had ordered the delegation not to meet Americans face-to-face. That constraint helps explain why both the BBC and CNA describe shuttle diplomacy rather than a bilateral table: mediators moved between rooms while each side restated maximal positions.

Trump’s Assembly speech, covered by both outlets, spent substantial time justifying the war with Iran and contrasting his “peace through strength” framing with Secretary-General António Guterres’s warning about deepening global divisions. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild… Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic…?” Trump asked, according to the BBC. He also said he believed a deal could come after November’s US midterm elections — a timeline he has floated before without explaining the mechanism, CNA noted.

The military and energy backdrop remains severe. The BBC recalled US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier in the year, Iranian responses against Israel and US bases, and the disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, historically a conduit for roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG. CNA added that oil prices held near two-week lows after the New York contacts, with Brent hovering around $100 a barrel, even as near-daily incidents continue in the strait and Iran-aligned Houthis have intensified Red Sea pressure.

Neither side announced concessions. Tehran’s published conditions centre on ending the war and US “acts of aggression”; Washington has kept coercive pressure — including threats of sanctions on countries that continue trading with Iran — while keeping Witkoff and Kushner on a mediated track. For markets and allies watching UN week, the signal is reopened diplomacy without a text: a thumbs-up from Witkoff outside the UN building, Qatari shuttling still underway, and Trump’s public annihilation rhetoric sitting beside private claims of “momentum.” Whether the next mediated round produces anything beyond staged optimism will determine if Wednesday’s opening was a real hinge or another pause in a seven-month conflict.