US and Iran resume backchannel diplomacy at UN amid war and threats

Iran and the United States have resumed contacts through mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as the war between the two countries continues. The renewed messaging comes alongside sharply contrasting public speeches from President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The talks are taking place in a highly charged setting, with both sides using the UN stage to press their case.

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According to the supplied material, Iran has exchanged messages with US officials via Qatari mediators, although it has not confirmed Trump's claim that the two sides held a direct meeting at the summit. The report also says the diplomatic track follows a three-hour indirect session earlier in the week between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump described that meeting as very good and very productive, while also warning that the US could "annihilate" Iran if the conflict continues.

Pezeshkian used his address to reject US and Israeli pressure and to deny that Iran is a terrorist state. He said Iran had been the victim of terrorism and would never "bend at the knee" in response to military or economic pressure. The speech was delivered under US Secret Service protection, which the material says is standard for visiting leaders, and the only delegate in the US seats walked out during his remarks.

The developments matter because they show that, even during open conflict, both governments are still testing whether diplomacy can create an exit route. The UN General Assembly has become a rare venue where public confrontation and private contact are happening at the same time. That makes the back-channel exchanges significant not only for the war itself, but also for the wider balance between escalation and negotiation.

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The supplied material says the conflict has been under way for almost seven months, and that the latest round of diplomacy follows a three-month pause in negotiations. Pezeshkian's speech repeated Iran's long-standing public position that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes and that it will not accept limits on its nuclear programme under pressure. The report also notes that the US and Israeli attacks have been a central part of Iran's argument at the UN this week.

What remains unclear is whether the indirect contacts produced any concrete progress or only kept the channel open. Neither side has released details of the discussions, and Iran has not confirmed Trump's account of a meeting on the sidelines. The next developments to watch are whether further mediator-led contacts follow and whether the public threats give way to a more formal negotiating track.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to defend his country and push back against accusations from Donald Trump. He said the United States and Israel had targeted civilians, and he presented images during the speech to support his claims. The address came as the war between the United States and Iran remained one of the central issues at this year's assembly.

The speech followed a three-hour round of indirect talks on Tuesday between Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to the supplied material, the meeting focused on possible ways out of the war, although neither side had given details by the time of the latest update. Trump described the meeting as very good and very productive, while also issuing threats against Iran.

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Pezeshkian said he changed the tone of his remarks after Trump's speech on Tuesday. He rejected Trump's description of Iran as a terrorist state and said the US and Israel were responsible for attacks on civilians. During the address, he showed a poster of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and images of children from a school he said had been struck by US bombs.

The material also says Khamenei was killed on the first day of attacks by the United States and Israel on 28 February. The developments matter because they show that, even amid open war, both sides are still testing whether diplomacy can create an off-ramp. The UN General Assembly has become a rare setting where direct political pressure, public messaging and back-channel contacts are unfolding at the same time.

That makes the New York meetings significant not only for the conflict itself, but also for the wider balance between military escalation and negotiation. The current exchange also reflects a broader pattern in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The supplied material describes Iran as being in open war with the United States, and says the issue is one of the main themes of this year's assembly.

In that context, the speeches and meetings in New York are being watched closely for signs of whether either side is prepared to soften its position. The public remarks suggest that both governments are still trying to shape the narrative while keeping diplomatic channels open. What remains unclear is whether the indirect talks produced any concrete progress or only a temporary opening.

Neither side had released details of the meeting at the time of the latest report, and the next steps were not specified. Attention will now turn to whether further contacts follow and whether the rhetoric from both leaders hardens or gives way to more formal negotiations.

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