Trump After Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Meet: “We’re Moving Toward a Deal”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met overnight Tuesday into Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The meeting took place in New York, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

Trump himself confirmed that the meeting took place in a conversation with reporters. According to him, “Washington and Tehran are moving toward an agreement. The Iranians are talking with us; even today, they spoke with us, and the relationship is developing. But we cannot allow them, and they understand this, we cannot allow them to obtain nuclear weapons.” The U.S. president did not provide details about the talks.

Earlier yesterday, in a forceful speech at the U.N., Trump showed no sign of a willingness to compromise. He called for Iran’s complete economic isolation and said he believes an agreement will be reached after the midterm elections in November, “because it makes no sense for them not to do it. They are waiting to see how I do in the midterm elections.”

An Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran delivered its latest proposal to Washington through intermediaries last week, and that it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ship traffic in the Gulf within seven days if its demands are met. The Iranian official noted that Tehran may reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States reduces military pressure and lifts the blockade on Iranian ports.