Trump says US and Iran have met and will meet again soon

Trump says US and Iranian officials have held a meeting and that another is scheduled soon, as Arab mediators push for talks at the United Nations.

Trump says a meeting between the US and Iran has taken place and was "very productive." He says another meeting is scheduled soon.

Mediators are working to set up a high-level meeting between the two sides. Arab mediators are pushing for US and Iranian officials to meet at the United Nations, with the aim of de-escalating the crisis.

Trump has said he is open to talks with Iranian officials "under right conditions." He is expected to address Iran and cartels in a speech at the United Nations, which the White House says he will use to press his case directly. That speech is expected to emphasise confrontation on Iran. Gulf states plan to urge Trump to hold back from escalating with Iran, and Gulf capitals plan to press him to do the same in direct contact.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said sanctions are crippling Iran's economy. He has also said the US will honour its commitments to Saudi Arabia while keeping the door open to talks with Tehran.

Iranian sources cited by the Fars news agency have called reports of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz invalid.

Any engagement could still take a different shape. A meeting could involve Trump's top advisers rather than Trump himself.

The picture has moved from a standoff toward talks. Whether that holds depends on whether the next meeting goes ahead. Iran's escalatory threats around the Strait of Hormuz, and warnings from the Revolutionary Guard, keep the risk elevated until talks take place.