Iran repeats terms in US talks as indirect UN contacts resume

Iran reiterated its demands in indirect talks with the United States at the UN. The contacts coincided with a sharp Israel-France clash over Gaza, the West Bank and Hamas.Stock photo used for illustrationIran on Wednesday repeated its conditions for ending more than seven months of war with the United States, saying its position in the latest talks had not changed. At the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron over remarks linked to Hamas and the occupied West Bank.The developments came as indirect contacts between US and Iranian officials resumed on the sidelines of the UN meeting, and as tensions between Israel and France continued over Gaza, the West Bank and settlement policy.Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had maintained its negotiating position in talks with US officials, demanding that Washington end its blockade on Iranian ports and release Iran's frozen assets. The indirect talks were held through Qatari mediators. "This was not anything new," Baghaei said of Iran's conditions.The unscheduled meeting was the first indirect contact between US and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unravelled. It came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast, where commercial shipping remains below prewar levels. In New York, Netanyahu's office described Macron's remarks at the United Nations as a "grotesque absurdity", objecting to his comments about the Palestinian militant group Hamas' activity in the West Bank. Macron had criticised the situation in Gaza and the rise in Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, saying Israel could not invoke Hamas to justify its actions there.He used wording in his French-language remarks that could be understood to mean Hamas had either never governed or never operated in the West Bank. A French diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Macron meant that Hamas had never governed the West Bank. The UN has not released an official translation. Hamas has long had support in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and has claimed responsibility for attacks there, though it has never governed the semi-autonomous territory. During the war in Gaza, Israel stepped up military operations in the West Bank and launched an offensive in early 2025 targeting refugee camps that it described as centres of Palestinian militancy.The latest dispute adds to tensions after France recognised a Palestinian state in September 2025. Earlier this month, France joined Canada and several European countries in announcing steps to restrict trade from Israeli settlements. France has long opposed Israeli settlements as against international law, and on Sunday it said it "firmly condemns the terrorist attack" that killed a French-Israeli over the weekend.Overall, the day brought renewed focus on two parallel strains in the region: Iran's unchanged demands in indirect talks with the US, and a widening diplomatic row between Israel and France over Gaza, the West Bank and Hamas.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 23, 2026 16:22 IST