- Iran and the U.S. signaled a potential easing of nuclear tensions at the United Nations on Wednesday.
- Iran insisted they no longer had ambitions to build a nuclear weapon, while the U.S. said they were open to dialogue.
- European powers still threaten to reimpose sanctions, however, if Iran fails to meet particular conditions by Sept. 27.
UNITED NATIONS — Tehran and Washington signaled a possible softening in nuclear tensions on Wednesday, with Iran insisting it has no ambitions to build nuclear weapons and the U.S. expressing readiness to resume talks aimed at resolving the long-standing standoff.
A few hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the U.N. General Assembly that Iran will never seek to build a nuclear bomb, President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said "we have no desire to hurt them."
"We're talking to them. And why wouldn't we? We talk to everybody. As well we should. That's the job. Our job is to solve things," he told the Concordia summit in New York.
Prior to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks, but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimize any risk of weaponization.
Tehran accuses Washington of "betraying diplomacy," and the nuclear talks have stopped since the war.
One Iranian insider told Reuters that "several messages have been conveyed to Washington for resumption of talks via mediators in the past weeks, but Americans have not responded."
On Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on key state matters such as foreign policy and Iran's nuclear program, ruled out negotiations with the United States under threat.
The United States, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear program as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
'A few hours left'
Britain, France and Germany on Aug. 28 launched a 30-day process to reimpose U.N. sanctions, known as snapback, that ends on Sept. 27, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The European powers have offered to delay reinstating sanctions for up to six months to allow space for talks on a long-term deal if Iran restores access for U.N. nuclear inspectors, addresses concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engages in talks with the United States.
"I think we have a desire, however, to either realize a permanent solution and negotiate around snapbacks, and if we can't, then snapbacks will be what they are. They're the right medicine for what's happening," Witkoff said.
That's the job. Our job is to solve things.
–Steve Witkoff, Middle East envoy
But amid the looming threat of sanctions, and last-ditch talks between Tehran and European powers to reach a deal to avert snapback of sanctions, diplomats have warned the chances of success remain slim.
After meeting his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron said Iran still had a chance to prevent reimposition of international sanctions, adding that Tehran had not offered anything tangible.
"An agreement is still possible. There are only a few hours left. It is up to Iran to meet the legitimate conditions we have set," Macron posted on X.
Two European diplomats told Reuters that Iran, the E3 and the EU held a fresh round of talks on Wednesday.
Deadline on Saturday
If Tehran and the E3 fail to reach a deal on an extension by the end of Sept. 27, then all U.N. sanctions will be reimposed on Iran, where the economy already struggles with crippling sanctions reimposed since 2018, after Trump ditched the pact during his first term.
The so-called snapback process would reimpose an arms embargo, a ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing, a ban on activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, a global asset freeze and travel bans on Iranian individuals and entities.
