Key facts
- The US is having positive, constructive discussions with Iran through mediators.
- Iran has presented the US with a seven-day plan regarding nuclear issues.
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with mediators of Iran.
- The diplomatic contacts occurred on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Oil prices remained near two-week lows following the diplomatic developments.
The United States is engaged in positive and constructive discussions with Iran through mediators concerning nuclear issues, a US official confirmed on Friday. These talks come after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran had presented Washington with a "concrete" seven-day plan, placing the decision-making power with the US. The diplomatic engagement, which occurred on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, involved US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicating with Iranian officials through mediators. President Donald Trump described these meetings as "very productive" and noted "a lot of momentum for them to make a deal."
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, clarified that the US and Iran engaged via a Qatari mediator and that Iran conveyed its conditions, including an end to the war and a halt to US "acts of aggression." The diplomatic opening has contributed to keeping oil prices near two-week lows, with Brent crude trading just below $100 a barrel. This comes after Houthi militants in Yemen launched an offensive into Saudi Arabia.
An interim agreement reached in June between the US and Iran, which included lifting financial sanctions and unfreezing assets in exchange for talks on limiting Iran's nuclear program, had previously collapsed. The breakdown occurred over shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and LNG trade. Despite near-daily attacks on tankers, shipping traffic through the strait has gradually increased recently.