Trump Says Iran Deal Has “Significant Momentum” but Warns Time Is Running Out

September 23, 2026 04:42

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that negotiations with Iran had gained “significant momentum,” but warned that time was running out for the country to reach a deal.

Speaking at a meeting with Middle Eastern leaders on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Trump said his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had held talks earlier in the day with Iranian intermediaries.

“The Iranians respect them both very much, and I think that’s important,” Trump said. “I think there’s a lot of momentum for them to make a deal. That’s what we’re hearing from everybody.”

The meeting was attended by the Saudi foreign minister, Qatar’s emir, Jordan’s king, the Turkish and Syrian presidents, Egyptian officials, and the US secretaries of state and the Treasury.

Trump described those present as “some of America’s greatest and closest friends, allies, and partners” who were working toward “a safer and more prosperous Middle East.”

He said the same group had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly a year earlier to discuss ending the war in Gaza, when the conflict was “raging with no end in sight.” Weeks later, he said, the countries helped broker what he called “a historic peace deal,” crediting them with saving hundreds of thousands of lives and establishing the Board of Peace.

Trump also identified Iran’s nuclear program as another major regional challenge his administration had sought to address this year.

He said Operation Epic Fury had crippled Iran’s navy, eliminated its air force and struck more than 90 percent of its weapons factories. He also claimed the operation had destroyed 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and 800 drone storage sites, while nearly eliminating Iran’s air defense systems.

The campaign had also “decimated its terrorist leadership and destroyed its economy,” Trump said, citing inflation above 300 percent.

Trump credited Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with leading Operation Economic Outcast, a financial pressure campaign aimed at isolating Iran.

“We’re completely isolating Iran financially, and we’re just putting the pressure on because hopefully they’ll do the right thing fast before it’s too late,” he said.

He warned that a point could come when Washington would no longer be able to allow Iran to “survive as a nation.”

Trump said the US Navy had cleared Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz and was helping restore the flow of oil, escorting more than one billion barrels out of the Gulf.

He said Iranian attacks on shipping and neighboring countries had demonstrated the need to move Middle Eastern energy infrastructure away from Iranian-controlled checkpoints. He also expressed support for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and alternative export routes.

“Together, we’re on the verge of overcoming challenges that have plagued this region for decades,” Trump said.

He said Iran had long been called “the bully of the Middle East,” adding: “They’re really not the bully anymore.”

“We continue to stand together,” he said. “We’ll create a future for this region and the world that’s brighter than ever before.”

Source link