Less than 24 hours after the first reports of a rare meeting between U.S. and Iranian representatives, new details are emerging about how the behind-the-scenes contacts unfolded on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The meeting took place on the same day President Donald Trump delivered sharp threats against Tehran from the UN podium. It lasted a full three hours, and was later described by the White House as particularly "fruitful."
According to reports, the sensitive encounter included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff, who have developed a surprisingly personal rapport behind the scenes of the ongoing conflict.
Because of the complete diplomatic rupture between the two countries, the sides did not sit around a single table or hold direct face-to-face talks. Instead, they conducted an extended indirect negotiation through Qatari diplomats who served as official intermediaries, shuttling messages, conditions, and positions between the two delegations throughout the day, moving from room to room to relay communications.
As he left the UN building, reporters approached U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to ask how the discussions had gone. He chose to respond with a smiling silence, accompanied by a thumbs-up gesture.
Later in the day, Witkoff posted an official statement on X confirming that the round had ended successfully and that both sides hope it will prove promising for the future, emphasizing that the mediators will continue their work in the coming days.
Against this backdrop, President Trump wove blunt threats into his official UN address, saying he was weighing whether to reach an agreement that would allow Iran to rebuild its country or to use total military force to destroy the regime swiftly.
In his speech before the assembled diplomats, he asked whether to destroy the Islamic Republic and not give it another chance to kill and destroy, while estimating that a final deal would ultimately be reached immediately after the midterm congressional elections in November 2026.
