Trump says Witkoff, Kushner met Iranian officials

President Donald Trump stated that U.S. and Iranian officials met on Tuesday, a surprising encounter that occurred even while he threatened to "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if a deal couldn't be reached to end the ongoing war. His chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reportedly held a three-hour conversation with their Iranian counterparts during the UN General Assembly.

However, Trump provided little information about the discussions' content or nature. He described the meeting as "very good," adding that the Iranian officials weren't of the highest level, but it was "something."

The meeting follows months of stalled U.S.-Iran communications, which ground to a halt after a short-lived ceasefire in June collapsed. U.S. and Iranian negotiators had indirect talks with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha in early July. Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned that Trump is open to meeting with Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while he is in New York for the General Assembly.

Rubio stated on NBC's "Today" show that "it doesn't mean you're going to end up agreeing with them, but it's important" to engage with people.

In addition to his meeting with Iranian officials, Trump also held discussions with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations, Jordan, and other countries to discuss the way forward with the ongoing war in Iran. In his address to the General Assembly, Trump argued that he has shown resilience while other leaders have been indecisive, defending his decision to start a war with Iran.

He also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a resolution to the conflict. Trump's comments came as he defended his military operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a new U.S. military agreement in Greenland, and concerns over AI regulation.