TEHRAN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to arrive in New York on Tuesday as a potential diplomatic opening emerged between Tehran and Washington, even as US President Donald Trump delivered some of his strongest threats yet against Iran in his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the UN gathering, describing the talks as “very good” but providing few details about what was discussed. The meeting came amid efforts by Arab mediators to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table after months of war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also told Fox News on Tuesday that Trump remained open to a possible meeting with Pezeshkian in New York, although no such meeting has been scheduled. Rubio said the president “can meet with anyone,” while noting that Iran’s supreme leader, rather than Pezeshkian, ultimately holds decision-making authority in Tehran.
The diplomatic signals contrasted sharply with Trump’s remarks earlier Tuesday at the UN, where Iran featured prominently in his speech. Trump said he faced a “big decision” over whether to reach an agreement with Tehran or “annihilate the Islamic Republic,” and reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. He also called for Iran’s greater economic isolation while suggesting that an agreement could still eventually be reached.
