US-Iran Hold Direct UNGA Talks as Trump Threatens Annihilation, Hormuz Traffic Plunges

On the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — a meeting Trump described as 'very productive' and lasting three hours. Trump simultaneously threatened to 'annihilate' Iran in his annual UNGA address, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York. New US Treasury sanctions targeting Iranian aviation came into force Wednesday, with Turkey, Iraq, and Georgia closing their airspace to Iranian carriers. Strait of Hormuz commercial transits fell to three vessels on Tuesday, down from roughly 15 on the 10-day moving average, per Kpler shipping data. Gulf states are actively pushing for de-escalation and reopening of the strait.