United States President Donald Trump has expressed keen interest to his advisers regarding a potential meeting with Iranian officials present in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, provided the conditions are right.

According to a United States official familiar with the matter, any potential encounter might alternatively involve some of the president's top advisers travelling alongside him in New York, although no formal dialogue has been scheduled thus far.

Internal discussions surrounding a potential sideline meeting at the United Nations General Assembly have primarily focused on whether such a dialogue would meaningfully advance the administration's efforts toward ending the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.

However, significant scepticism persists within Washington over whether the Iranian diplomats currently in New York possess the explicit backing of Tehran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains the ultimate authority on all state matters.

Furthermore, the official acknowledged that it remains completely uncertain whether the Iranian representatives would even be willing to sit down for discussions. Iran's scaled-down delegation currently present in the United States for the assembly includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Both United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz have publicly indicated that the president remains receptive to engaging directly with the Iranian delegation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Ambassador Waltz stated that Donald Trump is always open to discussions, adding that the crucial question remains whether the Iranians will sit down directly and who truly speaks for the ayatollah, calling it a continuous issue.

Similarly, when questioned regarding whether Donald Trump intended to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Washington remains receptive to the concept, even though no formal schedule has been finalised.

Rubio emphasised in an interview that the administration is open to such an encounter, particularly if it carries the prospect of leading to a positive outcome. Reaffirming Washington's firm stance on Iran's nuclear development, Rubio stressed that the primary objective of any diplomatic engagement is guaranteeing that Tehran never obtains a nuclear weapon under any circumstances.

Despite these statements from senior officials, neither Washington nor Tehran has officially confirmed that a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders has been arranged.

This potential interaction comes as the nearly seven-month-old conflict between the United States and Iran continues without a clear resolution, accompanied by escalating rhetoric and warnings from both sides.

In recent remarks reported on Monday, Donald Trump conveyed that Iran faced stark choices, including the complete destruction of the nation, allowing its economy to rot, or coming to the table to reach a deal. He added that he remained in a deciding mode regarding Washington's immediate next steps, warning that the nation had better behave.

In response, Iranian officials have cautioned that any fresh military aggression by the United States could spark a much broader regional conflict. Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, asserted via Iran's semi-official Fars news agency that Tehran would decisively alter both its choice of weapons and the overall geographical scope of the war if Washington launched another attack.

With both leaders scheduled to be in New York for the United Nations gathering, the summit provides a rare backdrop for potential direct contact between the two adversaries.

ANI