The U.S. Secretary of State revealed that there has been no breakthrough in talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives on the sidelines of the UNGA meeting, but the U.S. no longer intends to revert to the old MOU.
On Wednesday, 23 Sep 2026 GMT+7, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed that the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today are a continuation of past discussions, with no significant breakthroughs yet.
However, Rubio hinted that for the U.S., returning to the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) previously made with Iran in mid-June is no longer an option.
"Iran itself destroyed and crushed that MOU," Rubio said, referring to Iran's attacks that caused the temporary ceasefire agreement to collapse in June.
Rubio also declined to specify clear U.S. demands made during meetings with Iran, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner leading the U.S. negotiating team.
Rubio acknowledged the serious threats to energy transport through the Strait of Hormuz but affirmed that the U.S. military will continue escorting vessels to maintain oil shipments along this vital shipping route.
He emphasized that the U.S.'s primary objective in confronting Iran is to halt Tehran's nuclear weapons program, stating this is not a political issue for President Trump.
"The main point is that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. We reiterate this stance every time we interact with them," Rubio said, adding that Iranian negotiators may not always have the authority to decide on behalf of their government.
"The highest decisions in Iran lie with a group strongly committed to the Iranian revolutionary ideology, which complicates talks because you might negotiate with Iranian representatives and agree on some points or even explore the possibility of other agreements, but they must take those agreements back to the Iranian revolutionary faction for consideration, and often negotiations fail at that stage."
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Source:cnn