Iran and US signal possible revival of talks ahead of UN General Assembly
Iran and the United States indicated openness to renewed diplomacy as their presidents prepared to attend the UN General Assembly in New York.
New York, United States. Iran and the United States on Tuesday indicated that negotiations to end their conflict could resume, as Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian prepared to attend the UN General Assembly.
The gathering would be the first attended by both leaders since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran in February alongside Israel. Trump said on Sunday that he would be open to meeting the Iranian president.
Iranian proposal
A senior Iranian official said there were no plans for a direct meeting between Trump and Pezeshkian, but said Iran’s delegation had full authority to revive talks.
The official said Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if the United States met Tehran’s demands to ease military pressure and lift an American blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran conveyed its latest proposal to Washington through mediators last week, the official said.
“The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward,” the official said. “The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy.”
US position
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC’s “Today” show that the United States was open to speaking with Iran, particularly if discussions could produce a positive outcome and achieve the intended goal.
No face-to-face meetings between Iranian and US representatives are known to have taken place since July, when an agreement on an interim deal to end the war collapsed weeks after it was signed by Trump and Pezeshkian.
Asked by Fox and Friends about the possibility of a presidential meeting, Rubio said Trump’s business background made him practical and that “there’s no harm in engaging and talking to someone”.
Iranian leadership
Rubio said Pezeshkian was subordinate in Iran’s political system to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whom he described as a radical Shia cleric.
“The central issue here is Iran is run by lunatic clerics,” Rubio told Fox. “These people can never have nuclear weapons.”
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