The talks were conducted via Qatari intermediaries, with Araqchi meeting Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, while the American delegation remained in New York; Iranian officials clarified to Reuters that the parties did not meet face‑to‑face.
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the meeting as “very productive,” saying the mediators had “a lot of momentum for them to make a deal,” and reiterated his earlier UN remarks that he must choose between a deal with Iran or “annihilating” the country. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had conveyed conditions that include an end to the war on all fronts and a halt to U.S. “acts of aggression.”
The diplomatic opening comes amid a war launched by Trump in February alongside Israel under the banner “Operation Epic Fury,” now entering its seventh month, with thousands killed and regional spill‑over into Lebanon and Yemen.
An interim cease‑fire signed in June unraveled within weeks over a dispute on shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran seeks greater control and fees for transiting vessels—a demand Washington rejects. The earlier agreement had promised sanctions relief and asset unfreezing in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Oil markets responded to the renewed dialogue, keeping Brent crude just below the $100‑a‑barrel mark, near two‑week lows, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has gradually increased despite near‑daily attacks on tankers. UAE exports have returned to pre‑war levels, and Saudi Arabia has booked 60 million barrels of Gulf oil for delivery beyond the strait.
Nevertheless, the conflict continues to strain global energy supplies, with roughly a third of Gulf oil missing from world markets and refined‑product shortages driving inflation and higher interest rates ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The Iran‑backed Houthi offensive in Yemen this month threatens the alternative Bab el‑Mandeb route, while Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian ports, a pressure Tehran says it will endure until the strait is reopened.