Trump: US and Iran held 'very good' meeting, another scheduled soon

US President Donald Trump has said that talks with Iran have gained momentum and could lead to a deal, but warned that the US could take additional military action against Iranian nuclear facilities if necessary.

Trump made the remarks during a multilateral meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Türkiye, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal. That's what we are hearing from everybody," said Trump.

"Yeah, today. About an hour ago," Trump later said when asked if anyone from his team had met with the Iranian delegation, noting that the meeting went "very well."

"It ended an hour ago. It was a meeting that lasted for three hours," he said, noting that "it was a very good meeting. I mean, I must tell you it was very good. I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to do it."

Arguing that Iran is facing a stark choice, he said: "In one case, it's obliteration, and the other alternative is potential greatness. It could be a great country."

Asked who attended the meeting, Trump directed the question to US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and asked if they wanted to comment.

He later said, "They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting, and they have another one scheduled in the very near future."

"There's two alternatives," Trump said. "One is a very bad thing, and another, it could lead to greatness for the country."

Witkoff said: "I feel very good right now. I feel very good. It's a blessing working for President Trump."

Witkoff said separately in a post on the US social media platform X that the US and Iranian delegations held “lengthy talks” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly "through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day."

"They successfully completed a round of discussions that we hope will prove constructive and promising. The mediators will continue their work," he added.

Citing Iranian officials, a New York Times report said the Iranian delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

It added that the meeting was mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, while sources said the talks focused on reaching a deal between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian state-run media said Araghchi met Witkoff on the sidelines of the UNGA.

“Fruits of our efforts”

Reflecting on discussions held last year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trump said many of the same leaders had gathered to discuss efforts to end the war in Gaza.

"Exactly one year ago, many of our nations met here on the sidelines of the United Nations to discuss how we could end the bloody war in Gaza, and almost the same faces were here, including my friend right over here from Türkiye," Trump said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"He's fantastic. Fantastic guy, right, my friend," he added.

Following the meeting, Erdogan told reporters outside UN headquarters that eight countries have come together.

"We are striving to overcome the difficulties in the Gulf. We want to see the fruits of our efforts as soon as possible," said Erdogan.

"Economic cooperation"

Earlier in remarks made at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump said he believes a deal with Iran will be reached shortly after the upcoming US election, while warning that Tehran would be driven "into hell" if no agreement is reached.

"Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?" Trump said.

"They're waiting to see how I do in the midterm election," Trump said, adding that he is not running and will not let the election affect his Iran policy.

Trump said he had opened negotiations with Iran upon taking office, offering "economic cooperation" in exchange for Tehran ending its nuclear programme, but that Iran had "absolutely refused" the offer at the time.

He reiterated that Iran would never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and called on all nations to isolate Iran economically.

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Source: TRT