NEW YORK: The first indirect talks between the United States and Iran in months have raised hopes that the two sides could make progress towards ending the Middle East war, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “annihilate” Iran if no deal is reached. Neither side, however, announced any change in its core position.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Trump said he had a “big decision to make” over whether to reach a deal with Iran that would allow it to rebuild, or to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” quickly.
Iran’s Armed Forces, meanwhile, dismissed Trump’s remarks at the UN as “propaganda” and said they were fully prepared to deliver what they described as “more severe, crushing and unpredictable” strikes against aggressors.
Away from the heated rhetoric, diplomatic efforts continued to try to end the conflict, which has lasted for nearly seven months. The war began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes and has killed thousands of people, pushed up oil prices and drawn neighbouring countries into the conflict.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said the United States and Iran held lengthy talks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York through mediators who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day. He said the mediators would continue their work and expressed hope that the discussions would prove “constructive and promising.”
Trump later said that Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held talks with the Iranian side, describing the meeting as “very good” and “very productive” and saying there was momentum towards a possible agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had communicated with the United States through a Qatari mediator in New York and conveyed its conditions, including an end to the war on all fronts and a halt to what Tehran described as U.S. “acts of aggression.”
The contacts come as diplomatic efforts in New York seek a way out of the conflict, while the key differences between Washington and Tehran remain unresolved.
source:reuters