Trump threatens Iran with 'hell' while citing 'very good' UN talks

President Donald Trump threatened Iran with "hell" and "annihilation" in a UN address while simultaneously revealing that US and Iranian officials held "very good" direct talks in New York, the first such engagement in months. Oil prices fell as markets weighed the diplomatic potential against the bellicose rhetoric. The three-hour meeting on Tuesday involved Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Separately, new US sanctions targeting Iranian aviation took effect Wednesday, prompting cancellations of flights to Baghdad and Muscat, while Saudi Arabia's Gulf export terminals saw their busiest crude-loading day since before the war. Trump also criticized Britain's plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, citing the strategic importance of the Diego Garcia military base, which he linked to US operations in the Iran conflict. The UN address marked day 207 of the Middle East war.