An Iranian delegation held first direct talks with senior US officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, hours after American President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” the Islamic republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.
Iranian state television, however, reported that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi was part of the delegation that attended the first direct talks between the US and Iran since late June. The unexpected engagement between the longtime enemies came as the Iranian delegation went to New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly. He later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.
The US president said after his address that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met for about three hours with the Iranian officials on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders. Trump said it was “a very good meeting,” and further talks were set to take place in “the near future. Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump is open to meeting with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while he’s in New York for the General Assembly. “This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important.”
The visit to the UN comes as Trump’s foreign policy approach — particularly his decision to start a war with Iran — has become a drag on his fellow Republicans’ hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
Earlier reporting noted: President Donald Trump said US and Iranian officials met on Tuesday, shortly after threatening in his address to the UN General Assembly that he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war. Earlier reporting noted: “It was a very good meeting,” Trump said. Earlier reporting noted: “I have a big decision to make,” Trump said.
