IRAN and the United States held hours of mediated talks on the margins of the United Nations general assembly in New York on Tuesday.

The talks came on the same day that US President Donald Trump told the assembly that he was still considering whether to “annihilate” Iran.

President Trump said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son in law Jared Kushner had held a three-hour meeting with Iranian officials.

He told reporters: “They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting,” saying that he believed there was “a lot of momentum” towards an agreement. 

President Trump later said talks were continuing and that he believed a settlement would eventually be reached.

The US president also met with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Co-operation Council nations, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, as well as Jordan to discuss the way ahead with the war in Iran.

The new round of diplomacy came after a senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran’s delegation in New York had full authority to pursue diplomacy and described the UN gathering as a “golden opportunity” for Washington to return to negotiations.

The official said that Iran had submitted its latest proposal to Washington through mediators on September 16 and that details of a possible agreement to end hostilities could be discussed in New York.

The official also said Iran could reopen Hormuz within seven days if the US eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.

The new round of talks came as President Trump told the general assembly in his address that he’s shown fortitude while other leaders have equivocated as he defended his decision to start what is widely accepted to be an illegal and unprovoked war with Iran.

But the US president also suggested that he could be at a crossroads in the conflict even as he called on Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a settlement to end the conflict.

He said “I have a big decision to make. 

“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”