The initial talks between the United States and Iran, recently held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, have raised hopes for achieving progress in negotiations. These contacts are considered the first diplomatic communications between the two countries since the collapse of the temporary ceasefire agreement in July.
Details of the Talks
Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, and U.S. representatives, Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner, communicated with each other in New York through intermediaries. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that the meeting between Steve and Jared with Iranian intermediaries was very constructive and it seems they are on the path to reaching an agreement.
Read more: Possible Meeting of the Iranian President in New York with Trump
Trump stated in his speech at the UN General Assembly that he must decide whether to make a deal with Iran or “destroy” it. Additionally, the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, was supposed to give a speech at this meeting.
Domestic Reactions and Challenges
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Bagheri, announced that Tehran had communicated with the United States in New York through a Qatari mediator and conveyed its conditions, including ending the war on all fronts and stopping U.S. “aggressive actions.” Some Iranian state media also reported that Araghchi and Wittkoff had met, but Iranian officials corrected this and stated that the meeting was not face-to-face.
These contacts are seen as the first diplomatic opportunity in recent months following the failure of negotiations in July and the resumption of conflicts in the region. Despite the frequent exchange of fire between the two sides, Trump has refrained from returning to full-scale military attacks, as military commanders warned that ammunition supplies are dwindling.
These diplomatic contacts in New York also sparked negative reactions in media close to Iran's hardliners. Some critical articles directed at Araghchi regarding the communication with Wittkoff and Kushner referred to it as a “great gift to Trump.”
Despite the challenges, this diplomatic opportunity has helped maintain oil prices near the lowest level in the past two weeks. Brent crude oil prices are currently around $100 per barrel.
This war, which began in February by Trump along with Israel as “Operation Epic Fury,” has lasted nearly seven months and has killed thousands, having widespread impacts on global energy supply and other countries in the region, especially Lebanon and Yemen.
Read more: Possibility of Resuming Iran and United States Negotiations in New York · Iran Presented Conditions for Reopening the Strait of Hormuz to the U.S. Representative
