Updated

US and Iranian delegations held indirect and then direct talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, described by Trump as a 'very good,' three-hour, 'productive' meeting. US envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators 'shuttled' between the two sides throughout the day, completing a round of discussions both sides hope will prove 'constructive and promising,' with another round expected soon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump was open to meeting his Iranian counterpart while in New York, though Trump groused that Iran's delegation was 'not the highest level.' Despite the diplomatic opening, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps publicly rejected a separate US attempt to establish contact through it, saying dealings with the 'enemy' would only continue through arms as long as hostility persists, and insisted diplomacy remained the foreign ministry's domain. The mixed signals — public threats from Trump alongside quiet negotiations — underscored the fragile and contradictory nature of the diplomatic track after the collapse of a June ceasefire memorandum.