Trump threatens Iran with 'hell' but reveals fresh talks

Trump threatens Iran with 'hell' but reveals fresh talks Nokuthula Khanyile Wed, 09/23/2026 - 05:58

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump revealed that US and Iranian officials held talks Tuesday for the first time in months, even as he told the United Nations he was still deciding whether to "annihilate" Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took part in a meeting with Trump's roving envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Trump's carrot-and-stick approach began with a bombastic speech to the UN General Assembly in New York focused heavily on his stalled, unpopular war against the Islamic Republic.

"I have a big decision to make, will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country?" the 80-year-old said in his speech, during which all but one member of the Iranian delegation walked out.

"Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival?"

Trump said he believed Iran would make a deal immediately after November's midterm elections, in which Republicans face losing control of Congress due largely to the conflict's drag on the US economy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is slotted to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

Just after his speech, Trump revealed that Iranian and US representatives had met for three hours on the sidelines of the UN gathering.

"They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting, they have another one scheduled in the very near future," Trump told reporters as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump later added while meeting Gulf leaders at the UN that "I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal, that's what we're hearing from everybody."

Iranian media reported that Araghchi gave Witkoff conditions for reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway.

According to the state news agency IRIB, Araghchi said Tehran's demands included "the immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts."

Witkoff, in an X post Tuesday evening, said mediators "shuttled between the two sides throughout the day."

"They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising," he said, adding "the mediators will continue their work."

By Gregory Walton With Danny Kemp in Washington

• AFP