Araghchi Threatened to “Blow up the Entire Middle East” During U.S. Talks in New York

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi allegedly threatened that Tehran could “blow up the entire Middle East” during this week’s contacts with the United States in New York, according to Channel 14 Iran correspondent Dror Balazada, citing a source familiar with the discussions.

"We know how to bomb, to"

Balazada also reported that Araghchi warned Iran could damage the U.S. economy ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to the same account, the American response was blunt:

“Try us. We know how to bomb, too.”

In additional details provided directly to Israel News Pulse, Balazada said the meeting was not intended to produce an immediate agreement. According to his source, its purpose was to determine whether the two sides could return to a negotiating process and to establish how far apart their positions remained.

The reported threats and the specific exchanges described by Balazada have not been independently confirmed.

What is independently established is that U.S. and Iranian representatives held talks in New York during the United Nations General Assembly. President Donald Trump said his envoys had held a productive meeting involving Iranian mediators, while Iranian state television said Tehran used the contacts to convey its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Those conditions included lifting the naval blockade and releasing frozen Iranian assets.

Source describes tense Iranian delegation and confident U.S. side

According to the additional account Balazada provided to Israel News Pulse, the atmosphere on the Iranian side was “very tense.”

The Americans, by contrast, were described by his source as calm and confident that they controlled the situation, despite arriving with what Balazada characterized as tough demands established in advance by Trump.

The two sides, according to the source, entered the talks wanting to determine whether negotiations could resume but with positions that were almost opposite.

Balazada said Araghchi argued that Iranian national pride would not permit Tehran simply to surrender.

According to the account, Araghchi demanded that Washington first lift the blockade and reduce military pressure on Iran before negotiations could move to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

That broad position is consistent with Tehran’s publicly reported negotiating stance. Reuters reported that Iran had expressed willingness to reopen the Strait if the United States eased military pressure and lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.

U.S. reportedly demanded Iranian concessions first

Balazada’s source described the American response as effectively the reverse of Tehran’s position.

According to the account, the U.S. side told Iran that it must first reopen the Strait, restrain the Houthis, halt its nuclear program and permit inspections.

Only after those steps, the source said, would Washington discuss the concessions being sought by Tehran.

The precise list of American demands discussed behind closed doors has not been publicly released, so those details remain part of Balazada’s sourced account rather than an independently established transcript.

The wider disagreement over Iran’s nuclear activities, regional armed groups and the Strait of Hormuz is, however, well documented in the public negotiations surrounding the New York contacts. Trump has also publicly maintained that the United States will not accept an Iranian nuclear weapons capability.

Araghchi allegedly threatened regional escalation

According to Balazada, it was at this stage of the conversation that Araghchi issued the most serious threat described by his source.

“If you do not pay, we will blow up the entire Middle East,” Araghchi was reported to have said.

Balazada said Araghchi then added that Iran knew how to damage the American economy before the U.S. midterm elections.

Israel News Pulse has not independently authenticated those words, and no official transcript of such an exchange has been released.

The reference to economic damage comes against the backdrop of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which gives Tehran potential leverage over international energy markets. Disruption around the Strait has already affected energy supplies and market expectations during the conflict.

According to Balazada’s source, the U.S. response to Araghchi’s warning was:

“Try us. We know how to bomb, too.”

That response has also not been independently confirmed.

Balazada: Iran sought room for denial after talks stalled

Balazada provided Israel News Pulse with another detail concerning what happened after the discussions failed to produce significant progress.

According to his source, Iranian media subsequently suggested that Araghchi had participated in the contacts without authorization.

Balazada’s source disputed that account, saying Araghchi had received authorization to participate.

The source interpreted the subsequent messaging as an attempt by Tehran to preserve deniability if the negotiations failed, allowing responsibility for the unsuccessful contacts to be placed on Araghchi and members of his team.

Israel News Pulse has not independently verified that internal Iranian authorization process or the source’s interpretation of Tehran’s subsequent messaging.

Publicly, however, Iranian officials have downplayed expectations of a breakthrough and stressed that Tehran’s negotiating position has not fundamentally changed. Reporting on the talks has also described substantial differences between the two sides.

The meeting was apparently about restarting negotiations, not signing a deal

The additional account changes the context of the reported confrontation.

According to Balazada, neither side entered the room expecting to sign an agreement.

The purpose was instead to determine whether a negotiating channel could be rebuilt.

That distinction helps explain why both sides apparently arrived with maximal demands.

Iran wanted relief from the blockade and military pressure before making concessions over Hormuz.

The United States, according to Balazada’s source, wanted Iranian concessions on Hormuz, the Houthis, the nuclear program and inspections before providing the relief Tehran was seeking.

Public reporting supports the broader picture of two sides communicating while remaining far apart. Reuters reported before the talks that Iran had tied reopening Hormuz to reduced American military pressure, while Trump publicly said negotiations were continuing but reiterated his opposition to an Iranian nuclear weapon.

More contacts could follow

Balazada said his source expects further contacts between Washington and Tehran in the near future.

At the same time, the source described the remaining gaps as extremely deep and warned that the possibility of further escalation was increasing.

That assessment is the source’s view rather than a confirmed prediction.

For now, the distinction between what has been publicly verified and what Balazada’s source describes remains important.

The New York talks themselves are confirmed. Iran’s demands concerning the blockade, military pressure, frozen funds and Hormuz have also been publicly reported.

The alleged threat to “blow up the entire Middle East,” the warning about damaging the U.S. economy, the American “we know how to bomb, too” response, and the account of internal Iranian authorization all currently depend on Balazada’s source.

If that account is accurate, however, it provides a considerably more detailed picture of negotiations conducted against a backdrop of military pressure, economic leverage and the continuing possibility of renewed escalation.