President Trump revealed Tuesday that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a three-hour meeting with Iranian leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The sitdown began around 10 a.m. — occurring while the president threatened to ramp up the war to “drive them into hell” during his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders.
It was not immediately clear who represented Iran, though the country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi were in New York to attend UN meetings.
“It was a very good meeting, I must tell you,” Trump told reporters just before 2 p.m. during a press availability with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to [make a deal]. It’s potential greatness or obliteration. It’s two choices.”
“They had a very good meeting, very productive meeting, and they have another one scheduled in the very near future,” Trump told stunned journalists.
It was the first known high-level negotiation between the two sides since a cease-fire and memorandum of understanding collapsed in July.
“Certainly it’s to their advantage to make a deal. And if we can do that, it’s preferable, I guess. There’s two alternatives and you heard them in my speech today, and one is a very bad thing,” Trump added.
“I mean, in one case, it’s obliteration, and the other alternative is potential greatness. It could be a great country.”
Witkoff declined to elaborate, telling the press, “I feel very good right now.”
Trump delivered his annual speech to the General Assembly around 10:30 a.m. and Iranian diplomats walked out as he began to threaten further devastation.
“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?” the president asked.
“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 and no hope of future greatness for generations?”
Trump warned Iran not to count on a potential Democratic victory in the Nov. 3 congressional elections.
“I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn’t even enter my mind. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump declared in his speech.
“We are settling years of unfinished business. And we’re doing it well.”
Trump previously signed a memorandum of understanding with Iranian leaders on June 17, but that tentative peace deal fell apart weeks later when Iran attacked several commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz for using a US-preferred route along the Omani coast.
The conflict has caused a surge in global energy prices and inflation, in turn prompting the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates, dragging on Republican popularity ahead of the midterm elections.
