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[INTERNATIONAL] · United States, Iran, Qatar, Yemen, United Arab Emirates · 11 sources

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US and Iran hold first indirect talks in months amid military threats

US and Iranian officials have engaged in indirect shuttle talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, marking the first diplomatic contact between the two nations since a July ceasefire collapsed. Mediated by Qatar, the discussions involved Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. While US President Donald Trump described the meetings as productive, he simultaneously issued warnings to Tehran, stating he must decide between a diplomatic settlement or the annihilation of the country.

Iran has outlined specific conditions for ending hostilities, including the cessation of US military aggression, the lifting of economic sanctions, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Concurrently, the US has escalated economic pressure; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that secondary sanctions would ground all Iranian commercial aircraft globally by September 23rd.

Geopolitical tensions remain high as Houthi forces have consolidated control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, adding pressure to global energy markets alongside existing volatility in the Strait of Hormuz. These developments have had a stabilizing effect on oil prices, keeping Brent crude near the $100-a-barrel threshold. In Iraq, the US is also pressuring the government in Baghdad to disarm Iranian-backed militias as part of a broader regional strategy.

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Bab al-Mandab Strait · China · Donald Trump · Houthis · Iran · Iran · Qatar · United Nations · United States · United States

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