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.
What to know about the Iran war today:
- U.S. and Iranian envoys Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said.
asserted
Witkoff → know → Assembly
Iran said the discussions took place via a mediator, and President Trump said they went well, but offered no further details.
asserted
they → say → details
- he had a "big decision to make" on whether to seek a deal to end the nearly seven-month war, or to "annihilate" Iran and drive it "into hell with no chance of survival."
asserted
he → have → survival
- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is in New York for the annual U.N. gathering, said Tehran would "firmly defend" Iran's positions in the war and use the opportunity to "convey Iran's plight."
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Tehran → say → plight
He is due to address the summit Wednesday, according to Iranian state media.
uncertain
He → address → media
Iran calls Trump's U.N. speech "a sign of desperation"
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Iran → call → desperation
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has said that President Trump's remarks to the U.N. were "a sign of desperation."
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remarks → say → desperation
Speaking to state news agency IRNA, Baqaei also confirmed the talks held between U.S. and Iranian envoys on Tuesday took place via Qatari mediators.
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talks → speak → mediators
"The Iranian delegation conveyed its views and its conditions very explicitly and clearly to the American side through the mediators," he said.
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he → convey → mediators
Addressing Mr. Trump's remarks about his pending "big decision" on whether to make a deal with, or "annihilate" the Iranian regime, Baqaei said: "The impression among diplomats and delegations from many countries here was that these remarks did not stem from strength, but from desperation …
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remarks → address → desperation
Threatening a country with military attack is an admission of the nature of the current U.S. ruling establishment."
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Threatening → threaten → establishment
U.S. and Iranian negotiators "successfully completed" indirect talks in NYC, Witkoff says
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said American and Iranian negotiators "engaged in lengthy talks" on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
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negotiators → complete → Assembly
In a post on X late Tuesday, Witkoff said the two sides spoke through mediators over the course of the day.
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sides → say → day
He did not describe the substance of the talks, but said they "successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising."
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we → describe → discussions
President Trump told reporters earlier Tuesday that Witkoff and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner had a "very good meeting," and the two sides "have another one scheduled in the very near future."
Trump meets with Gulf leaders on sidelines of U.N. General Assembly
President Trump joined a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where the president said there's a "lot of momentum" for Iran to make a deal.
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Iran → tell → deal
Countries represented in the meeting included Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
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Countries → represent → Jordan
"I like these people," the president said of the leaders around him.
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president → like → him
The president said Iran's economy is in bad shape, and he hopes they do something good for their people.
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they → say → people
"I don't think about the election at all when I think about ending the nuclear threat from Iran.
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I → think → Iran
I just think about ending the nuclear threat from Iran," he said.
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he → think → Iran
U.S. delegation, including Kushner and Witkoff, met with Iranian officials, Trump says
President Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials met on Tuesday, shortly after threatening in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that he may "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if a deal isn't reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.
Mr. Trump told reporters the meeting happened, and ended "about an hour ago," but offered few details about the talks.
"It was a very good meeting," Mr. Trump said.
uncertain
Trump → include → talks
"They have another one scheduled in the very near future."
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one → have → future
The meeting lasted about three hours, Mr. Trump said, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff were part of it.
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son → last → it
Witkoff echoed that the meeting went well, saying "I feel very good right now," but provided no further details.
AP/CBS
Iran and U.S. held peace talks Tuesday, Trump says
The U.S. and Iran held talks Tuesday while both countries are at the U.N. for this week's General Assembly, President Trump said.
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Trump → echo → Assembly
He also said he believes the U.S. will come to an agreement with Iran, though he did not specify when.
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he → say → Iran
"I think that a settlement is going to be reached," Mr. Trump said during a bilateral meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
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Trump → think → Burnham
"They want to talk to us.
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They → want → us
They have been talking to us.
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They → talk → us
Even today, they've been talking to us, and the relationship is developing, let's say."
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's → talk → us
Mr. Trump was not more specific about what he meant by the "relationship is developing," or put a time frame on when the agreement would come.
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agreement → mean → frame
Earlier in the day, however, he expected the deal to come after the midterm elections.
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deal → expect → elections
The president also seemed to say Iran had agreed that it would not pursue a nuclear weapon.
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it → seem → weapon
"They understand that we can't let them have a nuclear weapon, and there's a price to pay for that," Mr. Trump said.
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Trump → understand → that
The Iranian delegation is expected in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, though it's not yet clear whether Mr. Trump will meet with either their president or foreign minister.
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Trump → expect → president
Trump says deciding between deal or driving Iran "into hell"
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Trump → say → hell
President Trump told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday that he had to choose whether to "annihilate" Iran if it fails to make a deal to end the Iran war.
asserted
it → tell → war
"I have a big decision to make – will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?" Mr. Trump said.
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Trump → have → East
"Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?" he said.
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he → annihilate → people
"Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?"
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I → drive → greatness
The president also reiterated that he believes an agreement is possible before U.S. midterm elections in November, in which his Republican Party faces losing control of Congress at least partly due to high fuel prices caused by the war.
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Party → reiterate → war
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
