President Donald Trump revealed at the United Nations that U.S. and Iranian officials held three hours of talks on September 19, described as "very productive" and scheduled for future continuation. This came after Trump's speech where he threatened to “annihilate” Iran if no deal is made. The meeting involved Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner from the U.S., and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Despite Trump’s aggressive rhetoric at the UN, he indicated optimism about reaching a deal with Iran post-midterm elections in November.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-23,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Xi pressed Trump to adopt Beijing's stance against Taiwan independence, which Taiwan rejected outright. Meanwhile, Taiwan is crucial for global tech and economy due to its leading semiconductor production; TSMC alone produces the majority of advanced chips that power smartphones, AI systems, and more. As Stanford Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann noted, economic disruption from a conflict over Taiwan would be severe.
In unrelated developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with US media at the UN General Assembly, where he denied Iran's nuclear ambitions while offering to dilute its enriched uranium and allow inspections under international law. He also blamed Washington for ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran has over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, raising concerns despite Pezeshkian's denials.
Taiwan's representative, Ambassador Alexander Yui, clarified during an interview on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that while Taiwan was discussed between Trump and Xi, it wasn't a major focus. He emphasized there has been no change in US policy towards Taiwan amid recent tensions with China.
Written for “Taiwan Iran Us Relations Midterms” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 386 other(s) covering the same event.
President Donald Trump revealed that U.S. 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.
asserted
he → reveal → 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.
asserted
Araghchi → take → 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.
asserted
approach → begin → 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.
asserted
member → have → delegation
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?
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I → annihilate → people
Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival?”
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I → drive → 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 U.S. economy.
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Republicans → say → economy
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is slotted to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
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Pezeshkian → slot → Wednesday
Just after his speech, Trump revealed that Iranian and U.S. representatives had met for three hours on the sidelines of the UN gathering.
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representatives → reveal → 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 Zelenskyy.
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he → have → Zelenskyy
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.”
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we → add → everybody
Iranian media reported that Araghchi gave Witkoff conditions for reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway.
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Araghchi → report → waterway
According to the state news agency IRIB, Araghchi said Tehran’s demands included “the immediate lifting of the (U.S.) naval blockade, the prompt payment of all Iranian assets that have been frozen, and an end to the war on all resistance fronts.”
uncertain
that → accord → 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.”
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mediators → say → work
Tuesday’s talks were believed to be the first in-person discussions between Iranian and U.S. officials since U.S. Vice President JD Vance met senior Tehran officials in Switzerland in June.
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Vance → believe → June
Trump promised when the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28 that it would be over in four or five weeks, but the conflict is grinding on more than six months later.
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conflict → promise → weeks
A ceasefire in April quickly broke down and negotiations have since stalled, with Iran refusing to cede control over the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran → break → Hormuz
Trump has sought to justify the economic pain of high fuel prices caused by the war amid mounting voting anger, saying that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
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Iran → seek → weapon
Despite the belligerent tone of much of his speech, Trump portrayed himself as a peacemaker who was acting in America’s interests, declaring: “While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them.”
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I → portray → them
Yet Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy underscored that he is still to secure a deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a war that he once claimed he could settle in 24 hours.
uncertain
he → underscore → hours
Trump insisted he was working with both sides to end the war, despite little evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin being open to any settlement.
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Putin → insist → settlement
“It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” Trump said in his UN speech.
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Trump → go → speech
Zelenskyy later told journalists that Ukraine was ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow agrees to do likewise, after Trump called on him to stop hitting diesel refineries.
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Trump → tell → refineries
While at the UN, Trump also signed a security deal with Greenland and Denmark which has — for now at least — cooled his calls for seizing the autonomous Danish territory.
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which → sign → territory
The pact will see the United States build two military bases in southern and eastern Greenland and bars non-NATO powers from establishing any military presence on the arctic island.
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States → see → island
“It’s going to be a long-term, fantastic relationship,” said Trump, whose territorial claims to Greenland since his return to power have deeply alarmed traditional U.S. allies.
uncertain
claims → go → allies
The Aporia
