Iran says Araghchi met Witkoff as Trump says talks with mediators went well

Iran's state media reports a direct meeting between its foreign minister and the US envoy. Tehran has hardened its stance on Hormuz shipping and halts some regional flights.

Iran's state media says Foreign Minister Araghchi met Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. According to the report, Iran agreed to Witkoff's request for the meeting in order to press its conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz. It says Tehran conveyed what it called "strict" conditions to the US.

President Trump separately said Jared Kushner and Witkoff met with mediators involved in talks over Iran, describing earlier contacts as very productive and saying another meeting is scheduled soon. He said a US official spent three hours with Iran's delegation and that the session went very well, adding that Witkoff feels very good right now. Trump said he thinks Witkoff and Kushner will get this thing ended.

The contacts are part of several tracks running in parallel. Qatar's prime minister sat in for most of a separate, pre-planned session on Monday between US representatives and the Iranian team led by Foreign Minister Araghchi. The EU's Kaja Kallas also met Araghchi around the same time as separate US-Iran contacts.

Iran has not softened its position to match the diplomatic tone. Tehran has hardened its stance on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz even as the talks continue, and an Iranian official said the country is ready to escalate if attacked. Iran will also halt flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat starting Wednesday, though international routes including Istanbul continue unaffected.

Trump has described these meetings in similarly upbeat terms before, without a confirmed deal following. The gap between his claims of progress and the absence of any agreement, set against Iran's continued military posturing and new demands over Hormuz transit, leaves the underlying dispute largely where it was, with the geopolitical risk around it unresolved.