U.S. and Iranian officials meet at UN as Trump threatens annihilation

President Donald Trump announced that U.S. and Iranian officials met on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, an unexpected engagement that coincided with his threat to "annihilate" Iran if no deal is reached to end the nearly seven-month war. Trump told reporters his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held the meeting with Iranian officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, describing it as "very good" while noting the Iranian representatives were "not at the highest level." The talks follow months of stalled communications after a June ceasefire collapsed, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Trump is open to meeting Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. In his UN address, Trump defended the war and said he faces a "big decision" between allowing Iran to rebuild or annihilating the Islamic Republic, while most of Iran's delegation walked out. The conflict has disrupted oil markets, with Saudi Arabia closing a key pipeline and Houthi rebels threatening Red Sea shipping lanes.