Archive · 23 Sep 2026
US-Iran Shuttle Talks Raise Hopes Despite No Concessions
US and Iran have started talking again after months without direct diplomatic contact.
Their representatives communicated through mediators during the United Nations gathering in New York.
Iran asked for the fighting to stop and for what it called US aggression to end.
The United States has not announced any new concessions.
The representatives did not meet face to face.
Some Iranian hardliners criticized the contact with US officials.
The talks raised hopes that the war could eventually end.
Investors also reacted by keeping oil prices near recent lows.
US and Iranian representatives communicated through mediators in New York, marking their first contacts in months.
Iran conveyed conditions including an end to the war and a halt to US actions it called aggression.
Neither side announced a change in its negotiating position or held a face-to-face meeting.
The talks followed the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement and renewed regional fighting in July.
The diplomatic opening helped keep Brent crude near a two-week low of about $100 a barrel.
- Who
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi communicated through mediators with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of a deal.
- What
- The United States and Iran held their first reported diplomatic contacts in months since an interim ceasefire agreement collapsed.
- When
- The contacts took place on Wednesday, September 23, during the United Nations General Assembly.
- Where
- The contacts occurred in New York through mediators, including Qatar.
- Why
- The discussions aimed to explore progress toward ending the regional war, while Iran sought an end to the fighting and US actions it described as aggression.
Diplomatic Engagement
Iranian Hardliner Opposition
Value of the talks
Diplomatic Engagement
Donald Trump said the meeting with mediators was productive and suggested there was momentum toward a deal.
Iranian Hardliner Opposition
Iranian hardliners criticized the contacts as a concession to Trump and argued that Tehran had already communicated its terms.
Form of contact
Diplomatic Engagement
US and Iranian representatives used mediated communication to reopen a diplomatic channel after months of stalled negotiations.
Iranian Hardliner Opposition
Iranian officials said their delegation had been instructed not to meet Americans face to face.
Conditions for an agreement
Diplomatic Engagement
The United States has not publicly announced a change in its position, and Washington rejects Iran's demand to control and charge fees for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Hardliner Opposition
Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, a halt to US actions it describes as aggression, and previously sought sanctions relief and the unfreezing of assets.
- Participants
- Abbas Araqchi, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated through mediators.
- Location
- The contacts took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Mediation
- Qatar served as a mediator; Araqchi also met Qatar's prime minister.
- Iranian conditions
- Iran called for an end to the war on all fronts and a halt to US acts of aggression.
- Face-to-face meeting
- Iranian officials said Araqchi and Witkoff did not meet in person.
- Earlier agreement
- An interim agreement reached in June later unraveled over shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Oil price
- Brent crude traded near a two-week low of approximately $100 per barrel.