Iran holds to conditions after talks with US envoys

NEW YORK

Iranians walk past an anti-Trump billboard along a street in Tehran on September 23, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iran rejected suggestions on Sept. 23 that it had dropped its preconditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after three hours of talks with U.S. officials mediated by Qatar on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The talks brought Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi together with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, in the first direct contact between senior American and Iranian officials since June. Witkoff said the discussions were constructive and promising, while Trump described them as “very productive” and suggested another round could come soon.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that the talks had taken place but said they were focused on conveying Tehran’s existing conditions rather than signaling a change in its position.

He said the conditions included ending the war “in all its dimensions,” halting what Tehran calls U.S. aggressive actions, lifting the naval blockade, releasing Iranian assets and addressing other economic measures.

Iran has set seven conditions for returning to negotiations with Washington. Tehran has also indicated that it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if its conditions are met.

The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most important oil-shipping routes. Any agreement on reopening it could require arrangements governing commercial navigation, including which sea lanes ships use and which country oversees navigational services.

The waterway’s disruption has compounded uncertainty around global energy supplies, while the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen control or threaten another strategic shipping route at the Bab al-Mandab Strait, linking the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

Trump’s comments came only hours after he used his address to the U.N. General Assembly to issue a stark warning to Tehran. He said he faced a choice between helping Iran become “one of the great countries of the Middle East” and “annihilate” the Islamic republic, while also indicating that diplomacy remained possible.

The talks took place as Iran faces growing economic pressure from U.S. sanctions and restrictions on its ability to export oil. Tehran has also been seeking to maintain civilian air connections with neighboring countries amid the threat of secondary U.S. sanctions against entities dealing with Iran’s aviation sector.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was in New York for the General Assembly as the talks were held. He has previously advocated negotiations with Washington and has said a memorandum of understanding reached with the United States in June should remain the starting point for diplomacy.

That agreement subsequently collapsed after Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating its terms, including over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has maintained that the agreement provided for it to retain control of the waterway during an interim period before the parties negotiated longer-term arrangements.

Witkoff said the United States would continue working through mediators after the New York discussions. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have emphasized that any progress depends on Washington addressing Tehran’s conditions, leaving the two sides with significant differences despite the resumption of high-level diplomatic contact.