Witkoff: US, Iran completed constructive, promising UN talks

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
23 Sep 2026 03:49
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US and Iranian officials held UN-sidelines indirect talks, with envoy Steve Witkoff calling the discussions constructive.

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From left, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, are seated as President Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during the United Nations General Assembly, on September 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP)

American and Iranian delegations held lengthy indirect talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, with mediators shuttling between the two sides throughout the day, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday.

In a post on X, Witkoff said the sides had "successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising," adding that the mediators would continue their work.

Tuesday's session saw Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meet for three hours with Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's other Middle East envoy, in a session mediated by Qatar. US President Trump confirmed the meeting to reporters hours after addressing the UN General Assembly, despite the administration having said earlier in the day that no meeting was planned, calling it "a very good meeting."

Iran presents conditions for ending the war

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to Witkoff during the meeting, according to Iran's state media.

Those conditions include an immediate end to the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war across all Resistance fronts.

Pezeshkian arrives for General Assembly

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New York on Tuesday to attend the General Assembly, accompanied by Araghchi, and is scheduled to address the body Wednesday. Pezeshkian said before departing Tehran that Iran would use the platform to convey the "plight of the Iranian nation" and the "crimes" and "distrust" created by the war, while also looking at ways to resolve it.

The US has denied visas to Pezeshkian's accompanying media team and imposed restrictions on the delegation's movement.

Direct and indirect contact between Washington and Tehran stretches back well before the war, with the first Oman-mediated round between Witkoff and Araghchi held in April 2025. Talks continued intermittently through the war's outbreak in February, and a subsequent interim ceasefire agreement was reached in June.