Iranian official: Iran, US far apart in peace talks, diplomacy ongoing

Iran and the United States ​remain far apart on how to end their war but diplomacy must continue, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, as the two sides held their first known indirect talks since a ceasefire collapsed in July.

The Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran was reviewing Washington's ​response to its peace proposals, which prioritize lifting a US naval blockade on Iranian ports and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

"There are still many differences between the Iranian and US positions, but diplomacy is ​continuing," the official said.

The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz was also at the center of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's address to the 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Before the war, the strategic waterway was a conduit for roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

"It cannot be the case that everyone benefits from the Strait of Hormuz while we are denied access to shipping through this waterway.

The permanent deployment of hostile fleets and the expansion of the war will not lead to peace," Pezeshkian said.

"The Iranian people will not bow to pressure." Iran has sought to exert greater control over the strait and collect fees from ships using the waterway.

Washington has rejected those demands and insisted that the strait must remain fully open to international shipping.

Against this backdrop, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated indirectly on Tuesday through mediators.

The talks marked the first known exchange between senior Iranian and US officials since the July ceasefire collapsed.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had conveyed conditions during a two-hour exchange of messages with Washington via a Qatari mediator.

These included an end to the war on all fronts, a halt to US "acts of aggression" and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that a deal with Iran would involve hard work over a period of time, adding that US President Donald Trump also had military options.