ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday met at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, Iranian state media reported, with the Iranian top diplomat conveying Tehran’s “firm stance” to ease maritime restrictions in and around the Strait of Hormuz. His statement comes as US President Donald Trump said that the “situation with Iran” would end after midterm elections. Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz “include an immediate lifting of the naval blockade, the immediate release of all frozen Iranian assets, and an end to the war across all fronts of the resistance movement,” according to a statement by Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). “Iran’s firm stance was officially communicated to the American representative during the talks,” the statement added, noting that the meeting was arranged based on Washington’s request. The Strait of Hormuz has been at the forefront of the US-Iranian tensions since the outbreak of the six-week war in late February. Both the US and Iran have imposed tit-for-tat restrictions, considerably reducing maritime activities in the strategic waterway as the US blockade remains in effect since mid-July. Trump said in a meeting with Arab and Middle Eastern leaders that the US blockade has manifested itself as a “wall of steel,” diverting inbound and outbound ships to Iranian ports. The US will “work with regional countries to evade Iranian maritime checkpoints,” he added, underlining that US forces have “escorted one billion barrels” outside the flashpoint in the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the conflict. He further added that “the situation with Iran might end after midterm elections” in November, indicating in a speech addressing world leaders at UNGA that they will possibly reach an agreement. “I believe we’ll make a deal, right after the election,” Trump stated, while threatening to “annihilate” Iran “with no chance of survival and no hope.” Trump’s remarks drew reactions from Iran’s wartime operation command, Khatal al-Anbiya, who affirmed the “readiness” of Iran’s forces to deliver “heavier, more crushing, and unpredictable blows,” the command center’s statement read, according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). [Updated at 11:48 pm]
World22-09-2026Trump says election results non-issue in Iran war, reiterates stance against nuclear Iran
