US-Iran talks raise hopes of a deal: What UAE residents need to know

The United States and Iran held their first indirect talks in months on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, with President Donald Trump claiming "a lot of momentum" toward a deal, though Iran reiterated its unchanged conditions for ending the war. The discussions, mediated by Qatar, involved Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, marking the first such contact since an interim ceasefire collapsed in July. New US sanctions on Iranian aviation took effect Wednesday, while oil prices fell to around $100 a barrel on hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough. Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below normal levels, with only three commodity vessels crossing Tuesday versus a 10-day average of about 15. UAE travellers continue facing flight delays and cancellations, and roughly a third of Gulf oil is still estimated missing from global supplies.