Cautious Openness to Talks
Iran and U.S. Signal Cautious Openness to Renewed Diplomatic Negotiations at UN
Anonymous
Key Points
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Iranian parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned President Donald Trump that he “cannot impose his power on the Iranian people and the armed forces,” underscoring that Tehran’s diplomatic signals did not represent a readiness to quickly soften its demands.
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The U.N. General Assembly appearance was to be the first event attended by Trump and Pezeshkian since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury,” alongside Israel, against Iran in February.
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The latest interim agreement to end the war collapsed in July, only weeks after it was signed by Trump and Pezeshkian; no known face-to-face U.S.-Iranian meetings have taken place since then.
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Iran’s senior official said the latest proposal was sent to Washington through mediators on Sept. 16 and described the U.N. gathering as a “golden opportunity” for the United States to return to diplomacy.
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Iranian reformist cleric and former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karrubi urged Pezeshkian to meet Trump if conditions were right, saying the government should have the courage to overcome its own taboos.
Iran and the United States signaled cautious openness to restarting negotiations as both countries' leaders attended the U.N. General Assembly in New York on September 22. Al Monitor reported that U.S. President Donald Trump stated there is "a lot of momentum" toward a deal with Iran. Iranian officials said Tehran's delegation had full authority to negotiate, while Hellenic Shipping News confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was open to discussions if Iran provided assurances it would never obtain nuclear weapons.
The diplomatic signals come eight months after the U.S. and Israel launched "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran in February, and months after a peace deal collapsed in July. Bloomberg reported that Trump praised a successful three-hour meeting with Iranian officials, describing it as "very successful." Tehran has proposed conditions for ending the conflict, including halting hostilities on all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian funds, and ending the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran's Tough Stance on Diplomacy
While signaling willingness to talk, Iranian leaders made clear that negotiations would not mean abandoning their demands. South East Daily reported that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, warned President Trump: "You cannot impose your power on the Iranian people and the armed forces." Ghalibaf stated that diplomacy represented "another battlefield" and that Iran would not surrender its interests in talks.
Iranian reformist cleric Mehdi Karrubi urged President Pezeshkian to overcome domestic political taboos and meet Trump directly if conditions permitted. This suggestion highlighted divisions within Iran's leadership over how aggressively to pursue diplomatic openings. State-affiliated media also denied reports that Tehran had made specific offers about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that Iran controls the narrative around any proposals.
Pakistan's Role in Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran on September 20-21, meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliamentary leaders. Iran denied that Naqvi was delivering a U.S. message or proposal, insisting the trip focused on bilateral relations and existing agreements. Iranian state agency IRNA noted discussions centered on trade, border security, and regional stability rather than mediating U.S.-Iran peace efforts.
The Naqvi visit highlighted the role Pakistan and Qatar have played as informal mediators. Tehran submitted its latest peace proposal to Washington via these intermediaries on September 16. Iranian officials described the U.N. General Assembly as a "golden opportunity" for the United States to return to diplomacy and reverse its military approach toward Iran.
Reopening Strait of Hormuz Within Seven Days
Iran signaled it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if Washington eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports. SE Daily reported that Iranian officials laid out explicit conditions for ending the conflict, including a commitment to a diplomatic timetable. The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 35 daily commodity vessel transits under normal conditions; current tensions have reduced traffic significantly.
Control of the Strait is critical to global energy security, as it connects the Persian Gulf to international shipping lanes. Iran's proposal to restore full transit within a week demonstrates both confidence in its maritime leverage and an effort to create urgency around negotiations. However, VT CNN noted that no direct Trump-Pezeshkian meeting was scheduled at the U.N. General Assembly, meaning talks would continue through intermediaries.
U.S. Insists on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Guarantees
Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that any U.S. willingness to negotiate came with a non-negotiable red line: Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon. Hellenic Shipping News reported that Rubio said the U.S. was "open to speaking" with Iran if discussions offered "prospects of leading to something positive." This framing shows Washington views talks strictly through the lens of nuclear non-proliferation rather than broader regional concerns.
The collapse of the previous interim peace deal in July had raised questions about whether durable negotiations were possible. Now, with both leaders in New York, the U.N. General Assembly provided an informal setting for delegations to test whether common ground existed. The fact that senior officials were meeting after eight months of conflict suggested at least minimal interest in exploring a path out of the military stalemate.
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