NEW YORK — The United States and Iran have reopened diplomatic contacts on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with Pakistan and Qatar mediating between the two sides as efforts continue to find a way out of the conflict.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said American officials held lengthy discussions with the Iranian delegation through mediators on Tuesday, according to a Middle Eastern television channel.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that the contacts took place through Qatari mediation, saying Tehran had conveyed its views and conditions to Washington “very clearly and explicitly” through the intermediaries.

The contacts came as US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the UN General Assembly, delivering sharply contrasting speeches that underscored deep differences between the two countries.

Despite the differences, Trump later described the talks as productive and said there was “a lot of momentum” towards a possible agreement.

Pakistan steps up mediation efforts

Pakistan has emerged as one of the key mediators seeking to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the secretary-general was “very grateful and appreciative” of Pakistan’s efforts, describing Islamabad’s role as “critical”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Pezeshkian in New York and discussed implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. According to Sharif, the Iranian president said the agreement remained “fully acceptable” to Tehran.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also met his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in New York. Islamabad has continued to call for dialogue, diplomacy and sustained engagement to resolve differences between the two sides.