Iran and US held direct UN talks, with Islamic Republic's terms to reopen Hormuz hardening

Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 09/22/2026 - 21:13 Iran wants ceasefire tied to lifting blockade of Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen and immediate release of $24bn frozen funds, official says

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters on 22 September 2026, in New York City ( Alexi J Rosenfeld/Getty Images/AFP)
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City to discuss terms to end their war, in the first public meeting between the two sides in months.

Multiple Gulf officials told Middle East Eye that their countries were trying to arrange a "bump-in" between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, but the logistics were complicated.

Qatar took the lead among Gulf states in facilitating the meeting between Witkoff and Araghchi, a Gulf official told MEE.

Gulf states were pressing for US-Iran talks at the UN in the days before the General Assembly. Both Qatar and the UAE called for de-escalation and engagement with the Islamic Republic over the weekend.

Trump said on Tuesday that Iranian and US mediators held “very good” talks even as he used his address to the assembly to threaten to “annihilate” Iran.

"They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting; they have another one scheduled in the very near future," Trump told reporters as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to do it. It's potential greatness, or obliteration,” he said, asked about the chances of a new deal.

“I feel very good right now,” Witkoff said when asked about the talks.

What are Iran's terms for reopening Hormuz?

Direct negotiations between the US and Iran have been frozen since a June ceasefire extension collapsed. Both sides have launched strikes on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as they try to assert their control over the waterway.

Iranian state media confirmed later in the day that Araghchi met with Witkoff, adding that he submitted Iran’s terms to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran wants the US to immediately lift its own naval blockade, release frozen Iranian assets and end the war across all “resistance” fronts, Iranian state media reported.

On the surface, those terms do not appear different from the ones Iran asked for in June, but in separate comments, a senior Iranian official suggested that Iran had hardened its asks.

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In an interview with AFP earlier on Tuesday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Hossein Mohebi said Tehran was seeking the release of the full $24bn in frozen Iranian assets up front before negotiations, rather than in stages. He also said that Iran was demanding a lifting of Saudi Arabia’s blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen as part of a ceasefire.

"The issue of Yemen was not on the agenda of the previous agreement. We are now demanding that the lifting of the blockade on Yemen be included in the agreement," he said.

In June, Iran linked a ceasefire with the US to Israel stopping its attacks on Lebanon, where its ally, Hezbollah, is battling Israel. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have continued.

While the US also agreed to return some frozen Iranian assets in June when it extended the now-defunct ceasefire, Trump was heavily criticised for the move among pro-Israel US lawmakers and commentators. It’s unclear whether the funds were delivered because the ceasefire broke down so quickly.

Mohebi’s comments also suggest some tension between the IRGC and diplomats like Araghchi.

While Iranian state media confirmed the meeting with Witkoff, Mohebi had earlier in the day ruled out speaking with the US.

"The Americans have tried to contact us, but we refuse any such contact. Our dealings with the enemy, as long as they remain hostile, are conducted solely through arms,” he said.

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