Trump says US, Iran officials held 3-hour meeting in New York

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US President Donald Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, September 22, 2026. /VCG

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held three-hour talks with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the UN General Debate in New York.

"It was a very good meeting," Trump told reporters. "I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to do it," he added, referring to the possibility of a US-Iran deal. "It's potential greatness or obliteration. It's two choices."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi were in New York to attend UN meetings.

Araghchi conveyed the country's "decisive positions" regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the United States, state-run IRIB news agency reported.

Citing its exclusive source, the IRIB said Iran's positions were relayed to the US side in a meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to the report, among Iran's conditions for the waterway's reopening are lifting the US naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war in the region on all fronts.

Trump also said in his UNGA speech on Tuesday that he has prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and warned that he could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" if no deal is reached to end ‌the conflict.

According to vessel-tracking firm Kpler's data, only two commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, down from 10 vessels the previous day.