US and Iran hold UN-side talks mediated through Qatar
US and Iranian representatives met in New York on September 22 during the UN General Assembly, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner identified as participants. The contact involved Qatari mediation, but no breakthrough was announced: Iran reiterated conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while US officials offered differing assessments of the talks’ significance.
Key points
- The meeting brought senior US and Iranian officials together after a period without direct talks, with Qatar involved in carrying messages.
Evidence · 4 source statements
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met today with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Iranian officials confirmed the meeting with Witkoff involved its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and was mediated by diplomats from Qatar.
Witkoff later said the talks were conducted through mediators who shuttled between the U.S. and Iranian delegations.
- Iran said reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on ending the blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending the war on all fronts.
Evidence · 3 source statements
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…
the immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts,
negotiations took part through a Qatari mediator who communicated Tehran's conditions, including an end to the war on all fronts and to US "acts of aggression".
- Trump and Witkoff described the talks positively, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been no progress and cautioned against calling the contact a breakthrough.
Evidence · 4 source statements
Trump said the three-hour talks held in a room at the UN headquarters had gone very well and been very productive.
Witkoff said the talks had been “encouraging, constructive and successful”.
No progress has been achieved so far in contacts between Iran and the United States, but the sides are at least exchanging ideas and signals
It was positive in that regard, but ultimately, you know, I don't want to mischaracterize this as a major breakthrough.
Who's involved
Donald Trump
As US president, he described the meeting and publicly urged Iran to make a deal.
Trump called the meeting very good and productive, said a deal would benefit Iran, and predicted another meeting soon.
What they said · 4 source statements
It was a very good meeting,
I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to do it,
He said there would a further meeting in the very near future.
Steve Witkoff
He represented the US in the talks.
Witkoff called the talks encouraging, constructive, and successful, while saying the US hoped the discussions would prove promising.
What they said · 3 source statements
Witkoff said the talks had been “encouraging, constructive and successful”.
They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising,
"prove constructive and promising"
Marco Rubio
As US secretary of state, he assessed the status of contacts between the two governments.
Rubio said there had been no progress so far, although the sides were exchanging ideas and signals; he called the conversation significant but not a major breakthrough.
What they said · 3 source statements
No progress has been achieved so far in contacts between Iran and the United States, but the sides are at least exchanging ideas and signals
It was positive in that regard, but ultimately, you know, I don't want to mischaracterize this as a major breakthrough.
I think it was significant that at least there was a conversation,
Abbas Araghchi
Iran’s foreign minister took part in the talks and conveyed Iran’s terms.
Araghchi said Iran demanded the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, payment of frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts.
What they said · 1 source statement
the immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts,
Ismail Baghaei
As an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, he described what Iran conveyed through the mediated contact.
Baghaei said Iran’s conditions for resuming diplomacy had been conveyed clearly, including lifting the blockade, ending US aggression and the war on all fronts, and unfreezing Iranian assets.
What they said · 2 source statements
Where accounts differ
How long the contact lasted
- Trump said the meeting lasted three hours.
Evidence · 1 source statement
Trump said that Washington and Tehran held a meeting for three hours on the margins of the U.N. gathering in New York, describing the meeting as "very good."
- Baghaei described the interaction with US representatives as lasting about two hours.
Evidence · 1 source statement
The accounts give different durations, though Baghaei’s description may refer to the mediated interaction rather than the full meeting.
Whether the talks represented progress
- Trump and Witkoff described the meeting as very good, productive, or successful.
Evidence · 2 source statements
Trump said the three-hour talks held in a room at the UN headquarters had gone very well and been very productive.
Witkoff said the talks had been “encouraging, constructive and successful”.
- Rubio said there had been no progress and warned against describing the contact as a major breakthrough.
Evidence · 2 source statements
No progress has been achieved so far in contacts between Iran and the United States, but the sides are at least exchanging ideas and signals
It was positive in that regard, but ultimately, you know, I don't want to mischaracterize this as a major breakthrough.
The officials differed in how they characterized the contact; positive assessments did not amount to an announced agreement or breakthrough.
What was reported
- The talks took place in New York on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Reported independently by 2: CNews, Yonhap News Agency
Evidence · 2 source statements
- Reports identified Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as participants.
Reported independently by 3: Al Jazeera, Asahi Shimbun, PBS NewsHour
Evidence · 3 source statements
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met today with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- Iranian officials said Qatar mediated the contact; Witkoff said mediators carried messages between the delegations.
Reported independently by 3: Fox News, RIA Novosti, The Guardian
Evidence · 3 source statements
Iranian officials confirmed the meeting with Witkoff involved its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and was mediated by diplomats from Qatar.
Witkoff later said the talks were conducted through mediators who shuttled between the U.S. and Iranian delegations.
- Trump described the meeting as lasting three hours. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei described an interaction lasting about two hours.
Reported independently by 2: RIA Novosti, Yonhap News Agency
Evidence · 2 source statements
Trump said that Washington and Tehran held a meeting for three hours on the margins of the U.N. gathering in New York, describing the meeting as "very good."
- Iranian statements listed lifting the maritime blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending the war on all fronts among the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Reported independently by 2: IRIB, RIA Novosti
Evidence · 3 source statements
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…
the immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts,
- No breakthrough was announced.
Reported independently by 2: NPR, TASS
Evidence · 2 source statements
Three hours of direct talks between U.S. and Iranian officials on Tuesday produced no announced breakthrough.
No progress has been achieved so far in contacts between Iran and the United States, but the sides are at least exchanging ideas and signals
How coverage differed
Iranian state-media reports and reports relaying Iranian state media — These reports foregrounded Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and accounts that Qatar mediated the contact.
US public-media reports — These reports highlighted Trump’s positive description of the meeting while also noting that no breakthrough had been announced.
Still unclear
- No agreement was announced.
- The next meeting date was not specified.
- The details of any proposals discussed were not made public.
Not heard from
- Qatar — Qatar was reported to have mediated the contact, but no Qatari official’s account or position appears in the reports.