Iran, US remain far apart in first shuttle talks in months
Pezeshkian vows no surrender as Rubio says deal will require hard work; diplomacy continues despite dueling UN speeches.
What to know
- Iran and the US held their first indirect shuttle talks in months, but officials from both sides signaled no breakthrough: Tehran says positions remain far apart, while the US says a deal will require sustained hard work.
- The core dispute centers on the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and control of the Strait of Hormuz (a fifth of global oil/LNG shipments); Iran wants to exert control and collect fees; Washington insists it remain fully open.
- Dueling UN speeches underscored the rhetorical divide: Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran; Pezeshkian vowed Tehran would never surrender to US pressure or "bullying mentality."
“The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not lead to peace.”
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian President · Algemeiner.com ↗
Masoud Pezeshkian Iranian President
Donald Trump US President
Marco Rubio US Secretary of StateAbbas Araqchi Iranian Foreign MinisterSteve Witkoff & Jared Kushner US envoys
How it unfolded 0 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump
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US threatens secondary sanctions on countries allowing Iranian flights — The US announced it would impose secondary sanctions against any nation permitting Iranian flights after September 24. In response, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state TV that Iran would prevent neighboring countries' airports from functioning if they stop Iranian flights.
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Rubio says deal will require sustained hard work — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that resolving differences with Iran would involve hard work over a period of time, while Trump retained military options as leverage in negotiations.
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Senior Iranian official says positions remain far apart — A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was reviewing Washington's response to its peace proposals but that "there are still many differences between the Iranian and US positions." The official stated diplomacy must continue.
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Pezeshkian condemns US "bullying mentality" at UN — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the General Assembly, condemning what he called "signs of a bullying mentality" from Trump and reiterating that Iran would never surrender. He focused on the US blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz, a global shipping chokepoint for a fifth of world oil and LNG.
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Trump warns of ability to "annihilate" Iran at UN — US President Donald Trump used the UN General Assembly forum to threaten Iran, arguing he had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" if no deal is reached.
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US and Iran hold first shuttle talks in months — Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated indirectly through a Qatari mediator for the first time since a ceasefire collapsed in July. Iran conveyed conditions including an end to the war on all fronts, a halt to US "acts of aggression", and release of frozen Iranian assets.