President Donald Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials met Tuesday in an unexpected diplomatic engagement, shortly after he warned in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if an agreement is not reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.
Trump told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Iranian officials for about three hours on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders. He provided few details about how the talks unfolded or what was discussed.
“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said, later adding that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.”
Witkoff said in a post on X that the discussions took place through mediators who moved between the U.S. and Iranian teams. He said he was hopeful the effort “will prove constructive and promising.”
The talks came after months of stalled U.S.-Iran communications following the collapse of a brief ceasefire brokered in June. U.S. and Iranian negotiators separately met with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha in early July for indirect talks.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump was open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while both were in New York for the General Assembly.
“This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you're going to solve problems,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It doesn't mean you're going to end up agreeing with them, but it's important.”
Trump also met Tuesday with leaders and senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — as well as Jordan, to discuss the way forward in the war with Iran.
In his General Assembly address, Trump defended his decision to launch the war with Iran, arguing that he had shown resolve while other leaders had hesitated.
But he also suggested he may be facing a turning point in the conflict, while urging Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations to reach a settlement.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world. Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
Trump made the remarks during a wide-ranging address in which he also celebrated the U.S. military operation this year that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, praised a new agreement expanding the U.S. military presence in Greenland and opposed calls for greater regulation of artificial intelligence.
A central theme of the speech, however, was Trump's defense of the war and his rejection of the idea that Iran had demonstrated resilience.
“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate,” Trump said.
Most members of Iran’s delegation left the chamber as Trump criticized the Islamic Republic.
Trump’s speech begins busy day of diplomacy
After his speech, Trump met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the General Assembly to sign a new security agreement.
The agreement, announced last week, followed repeated threats by Trump to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, by military force if necessary.
Trump said Tuesday that the United States would immediately begin work on expanding its military presence in Greenland, including “building two very major military bases.”
Under the agreement, Greenland will remain Danish territory.
Trump also held talks on the sidelines of the General Assembly with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
Trump and Rodríguez met Tuesday evening at a reception, marking their first engagement since Trump ordered a U.S. operation in January to capture Maduro and bring him to New York to face federal narcoterrorism and drug-trafficking charges.
Maduro’s lawyers have objected to the U.S. military operation that removed him from power.
Iran war looms over General Assembly
Trump’s visit to the U.N. came as his foreign policy approach, particularly his decision to launch the war with Iran, has become a political issue for Republicans ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
Nevertheless, Trump argued in his speech that the world is better off under his leadership.
“I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day,” he said.
In last year’s address to the U.N., Trump claimed the United States had “demolished” Iran’s nuclear capabilities after ordering the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.
He returned to the General Assembly as the new war with Iran approached its seventh month, continuing to argue that it is necessary to counter the nuclear threat posed by the Islamic Republic.
The conflict has become increasingly complicated even as U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed much of Iran’s top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy. A U.S. blockade of Iranian oil has also severely damaged Tehran’s economy.
The war continues to unsettle energy markets, with oil prices remaining elevated. Saudi Arabia earlier this month shut down a key pipeline that had served as an alternative route for oil blocked in the Gulf after the pipeline was attacked by Iran-backed militants in Iraq.
Meanwhile, territorial actions by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, another Iranian-backed group, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait have made the Red Sea shipping route increasingly dangerous for oil carriers.
Trump’s frustration grows over Russia-Ukraine war
Trump also addressed Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine, a conflict he predicted during his 2024 campaign would be resolved on the first day of his second term. He again expressed hope that the fighting would soon end.
Trump has made clear that his patience is being tested by Ukraine’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries, which have contributed to volatility in global oil markets, as well as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Trump noted that he signed a new sanctions bill last week targeting Moscow. The legislation gives him the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
The law includes an exception for countries importing less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and taking significant steps to reduce those imports. Trump, however, has yet to impose the penalties.
“If necessary, I will have to use them,” Trump said. “It’s time to stop the killing.”