Iranian officials have expressed pessimism about reaching a deal with the United States before the upcoming US midterm elections, according to sources familiar with the matter. Recent meetings in New York during the UN General Assembly made little progress, with both sides distrustful of each other's intentions. Talks are set to continue through mediators like Pakistan and Qatar, but Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet without a US representative present on September 28th. The main issue is Iran’s reluctance to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, which the US insists must be addressed for any agreement to move forward.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
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.
Iranian officials have privately expressed pessimism about reaching a deal to end hostilities with Washington and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before US midterm elections in November, according to people familiar with the matter.
uncertain
officials → express → matter
Iran and the US made little progress during talks in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week and the Islamic Republic believes there’s a high chance of the conflict escalating after the Nov 3 vote, according to the people, some of whom were briefed by Iranian officials.
uncertain
some → make → officials
They asked not to be named discussing sensitive matters.
asserted
They → ask → matters
Iran officials have consistently said they are willing to pursue diplomacy but do not trust the administration of US President Donald Trump to abide by the terms of any agreement.
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they → say → agreement
The White House has similar feelings of distrust toward Tehran and Trump has previously said he doubts any deal can be reached before the midterms.
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deal → have → midterms
Still, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff last week, has remained in the US for more discussions that will be conducted via mediators for the warring sides, one person said.
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person → meet → sides
Talks involving Araghchi will take place on the morning of Sept 28 local time to review recent proposals and exchange views on the current situation, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
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Agency → involve → situation
No US representative will attend the meeting, it said.
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it → attend → meeting
The main mediators are seeking something different from the so-called Memorandum of Understanding signed by Iran and the US in mid-June.
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mediators → seek → June
That led to a ceasefire and more maritime traffic flowing through Hormuz but collapsed within about a fortnight, before the sides made substantive progress on a permanent peace deal.
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sides → lead → deal
The MOU was widely criticised among US politicians as ceding too much to Iran financially, especially in the form of sanctions relief.
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MOU → criticise → relief
Iran also continued to restrict shipping in the strait and volumes remained far below pre-war levels.
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volumes → continue → levels
The US government has told mediators it wants Iran to make firm commitments on reopening the strait this time around and to make concessions regarding its nuclear programme, two of the people said.
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two → tell → people
Washington continues to have constructive discussions with Iran through mediators, but there will not be a deal unless the nuclear issues are addressed, according to one US official, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive talks.
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who → continue → talks
Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds in exchange for concrete progress on nuclear, the official said.
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official → give → nuclear
The spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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spokesman → respond → comment
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that negotiators are pressing Iran to compromise on its nuclear programme to revive the peace talks and placate Trump on an issue he has made a top priority.
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he → report → issue
In his address to the UN General Assembly last week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country isn’t seeking to build an atomic weapon but won’t give up the right to develop nuclear technology for economic purposes.
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country → say → purposes
Tehran says it has made an offer to reopen the strait within seven days if Washington makes certain moves.
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Washington → say → moves
Its leaders have previously said the US must lift a naval blockade and oil sanctions for there to be any progress on allowing more ships through the vital waterway.
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US → say → waterway
Trump said Sept 26 he had rejected the proposal.
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he → say → proposal
Oil prices rose on Sept 28 as expectations for an agreement on Hormuz faded, with Brent crude jumping 2 per cent to around US$106.20 a barrel.
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crude → rise → 106.20
The surge in energy prices since the US and Israel started the war in late February has hurt Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections, in which the Democratic Party is widely expected to make gains.
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Party → start → gains
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