Iran, US hint at revival of talks as Trump, Pezeshkian due to attend UN

Iran and the United States hinted on Tuesday at reviving negotiations to end their conflict, with the presidents of both countries due at the UN General Assembly in New York.

It would be the first event attended by both Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian since Trump launched "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran in February, alongside Israel.

What has Iran offered to revive talks with the US?

Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within seven days if the US eased military pressure and lifted its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official said.

The official added that Iran had conveyed its latest proposal to Washington via mediators last week and that Iran's delegation had full authority to revive talks, though no direct meeting between the two presidents was planned.

"The US needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward," the official said. "The UN General Assembly is a golden opportunity for the US to return to diplomacy." Trump had said on Sunday he would be open to a meeting with the Iranian president.

Is the US open to talks with Iran?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC's "Today" show the US was open to speaking with the Iranians, "especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about." No face-to-face meetings between Iran and the United States are known to have taken place since July, when an interim deal to end the war collapsed weeks after Trump and Pezeshkian signed it.

Asked by Fox and Friends about a possible meeting between the two presidents, Rubio said of Trump: "He's a businessman who comes from the world of practicality and common sense. And common sense tells you there's no harm in engaging and talking to someone." Rubio also noted that Pezeshkian is subordinate under Iran's ruling system to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, whom he described as "a radical Shia cleric," adding: "The central issue here is Iran is run by lunatic clerics. These people can never have nuclear weapons."

In a reminder of Iran's firm position, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqer Ghalibaf, who led Iran's negotiating team at previous talks, said Tuesday that Iran would never surrender. "Trump must understand that he cannot impose his power on the Iranian people and its armed forces," Ghalibaf said.

What is at stake for Gulf Arab states in the talks?

Trump is due to meet Tuesday with leaders of the six Gulf Arab states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. All are keen to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz but wary of giving Iran too much power, and all except Oman host US military bases that have faced repeated Iranian attacks during the war.

Saudi Arabia, the largest of the six, has been drawn deeper into the conflict this month as Houthi fighters aligned with Iran advance in Yemen, routing Saudi-backed government forces and threatening Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea. Oil markets saw some relief Tuesday after sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had restarted its East-West Pipeline and could resume reduced exports within hours from the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

Why has the US held back from striking the Houthis?

The pipeline, Saudi Arabia's main alternative export route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, was shut down after attacks this month that Riyadh blamed on Iranian allies in Iraq. The Houthis have routed Saudi-backed forces along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, attacked Saudi Arabia directly with missiles and drones, and are now pushing to seize the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the Red Sea coast.

The US, which bombed the Houthis for two months last year, has so far rebuffed repeated pleas from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to rejoin the fight. The New York Times reported that Trump called off US strikes against the Houthis on Sunday at the last minute, after troops had already begun loading bombs onto planes. Asked why Washington had held back, Rubio said: "Ultimately, if it comes down to it, the United States will always stand with Saudi Arabia and support them because we have an agreement with them to do so. That said, that is a very dangerous and complex conflict that pre-exists. We have a history with the Houthis as well, and that's something we don't want to see impacted either."

What is the Qatari proposal for Gulf security?

A Qatari proposal for a common security architecture bringing Iran and the Arab Gulf states together is on the table at the Gulf states' meeting with Trump, regional sources said, and Iran is reviewing the proposal. Speaking at a Qatar Economic Forum in New York on Sunday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said any such arrangement would need to provide security guarantees for the Gulf states and expand economic interdependence with Iran.

"Lasting security cannot be built through repeated cycles of escalations and retaliation, or arrangements that leave any state permanently exposed to insecurity," Sheikh Mohammed said.