US, Iran separately talk with mediators in latest bid to end war

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Cargo ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026. /VCG

US and Iranian officials spoke separately with mediators on Monday as part of a renewed effort to end seven months of war, according to officials of both countries.

Any further talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal that Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.

Under Iran's seven-day proposal, all hostilities in Iran and Lebanon would cease, billions of dollars' worth of Iranian assets would be unfrozen, sanctions on Iranian oil would be lifted, and the US blockade on Iranian ports would end.

In return, Iran would allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for global oil shipments. The two sides would also resume talks on Iran's nuclear program and Trump's wish to seize or eliminate its highly enriched uranium.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who remained in New York after attending the General Assembly, said Iran expected to receive the US response to its latest ceasefire proposals and its conditions for restoring passage of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA.

"If the Americans claim they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution," Araghchi said.

Trump said on Monday that US officials had also spoken separately with mediators, but provided no further details.

The US president also denied reports that he had offered Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions from Tehran.

"This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

A view of a market that was targeted by an aerial attack carried out by a Saudi war jet in Taiz Province, Yemen, September 27, 2026. /VCG

While diplomatic efforts continued, fighting persisted on another front in the region.

At least 44 people from Yemen's government forces and the Houthi group were killed and several others wounded in fierce clashes on Monday in the southern province of Lahj near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, Xinhua reported, citing two military sources from the opposing sides.

Separately, Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesperson for the government forces, said in a statement on X that government forces had conducted 356 "precise targeting operations" against Houthi reinforcements, positions and military capabilities across multiple fronts over the previous 24 hours.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that hostilities in Yemen have forced 142,000 people across the country to flee their homes, citing the International Organization for Migration.

The world body and its partners continued supporting the response and have reached more than 115,000 people so far, while nearly $20 million in emergency funding has been mobilized to support newly displaced families and host communities, said the office.

However, the office said additional funding is urgently needed as life-saving medical supplies are rapidly dwindling, and access to many in need remains difficult.

Elsewhere in the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Monday that he visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a day earlier at the invitation of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saying their talks focused on relations between the two countries.

"The visit focused on bilateral ties and regional challenges," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

The UAE's state-run Emirates News Agency said earlier on Monday that the two leaders discussed relations between the countries and ways to strengthen them, without providing further details.

Citing officials familiar with the meeting, Israeli state-owned Kan TV News reported that Netanyahu had asked the UAE president to publicly deny reports that he had warned the Israeli prime minister before Hamas' October 7, 2023 surprise attack that the group was planning a major operation.

Netanyahu has previously denied receiving such a warning.

In a separate statement, his office denied the report as "fake news," claiming the visit "focused exclusively on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges."