Trump Says Iran Is Open to Ending the War

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 22 said he believes that Iran seems open to ending the war.

“I think there’s a lot of momentum for them to make a deal,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, saying his administration met with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York City.

The president reiterated that a “big portion” of the discussions entailed ensuring that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, a statement he has often made in explaining why the United States launched military strikes against the country earlier this year.

Over the summer, U.S. officials met with Iranian counterparts on separate occasions to discuss a framework to end the conflict and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran has continued to attack commercial oil vessels in the waterway.

Trump said Tuesday that the United States “may have to blow up another” alleged Iranian nuclear production site known as Pickaxe Mountain. He delivered the remarks alongside the heads of state from other Middle Eastern nations, including Jordan, Qatar, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, and others.

“We’re not seeing a lot of activity there, but if we do, we’ll blow it up immediately,” the president added.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X that the United States and Iran engaged in lengthy talks on Sept. 22 on the sidelines of ⁠the U.N. General Assembly through mediators “who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day.”

The mediators will continue their work, Witkoff added, saying that he hoped Tuesday’s discussions would “prove constructive and promising.”

An Iranian Foreign Ministry diplomat and spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Sept. 22 that Iranian and U.S. officials held a discussion in New York.

“The interaction that took place was through Qatari mediation. In fact, the Iranian delegation conveyed its views and conditions to the American side very clearly and explicitly through the mediators,” he told Iranian semi-official outlet IRNA.

Conditions to end the war include a halt to fighting on all fronts, terminating the U.S. Navy blockade of Iranian ports, and releasing Iranian assets, he said.

Also in New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the U.N. General Assembly that Tehran will not surrender in the war with the United States, and that it believes in diplomacy to try to end the conflict.

“It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the ‌Strait ⁠of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway. The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not ​lead to peace,” ​Pezeshkian said on Sept. 23.

It came a day after Trump spoke at the General Assembly to make his case for the Iran war, saying he prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He also warned that the United States could “annihilate the Islamic ​Republic” if no deal is reached to end the conflict.

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? … 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.

Reuters contributed to this report.