President Trump said U.S. officials met for three hours with the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. "It was a good meeting ... It's to their advantage to make a deal," Trump said before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A U.S. official and a regional source said Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attended the meeting from the U.S. side, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from the Iran side. Iran state television said the meeting was requested by the U.S. and "driven by the need to convey Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz," which include lifting the naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war on all fronts. Why it matters: The General Assembly offers a rare opportunity to try to break the stalemate in the war, which is approaching the seven-month mark with no signs of a breakthrough. It's the first meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials since mid-June. State of play: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC Tuesday morning that President Trump is open to meeting with the Iranians in New York "because he believes that engaging with people is important if you're going to solve problems." He added, however, that no meeting has been scheduled yet. Trump is expected to meet with representatives of nine Arab countries on Tuesday to discuss the war. Many of the countries are expected to urge Trump to de-escalate with Iran and work to reach a deal, regional sources said. What he said: In his speech before the UN General Assembly, Trump reiterated what he told Axios last week: that he has "a big decision to make" whether to make a deal with Iran or "annihilating the Islamic Republic." Trump said he thinks the U.S. will reach a deal with Iran after the midterms "We will get it done one way or another. We will get it done and get it done fast," Trump said. "It doesn't make sense for Iran not to (make a deal)," he added. "They are waiting to see how I do in the midterm elections. What they don't realize is that I am not running … I will be here for two-and-a-half years. I gave no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran. It doesn't even enter my mind. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon." Zoom out: Trump also made a broader case for the war, saying many presidents before him ignored the Iran threat for many years. "After giving Iran every chance for a deal I took action to ensure that neither the U.S. nor any other nation will have to face such a catastrophic problem," Trump said. Zoom in: Trump said Iran violated the ceasefire by attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Still, he added, the U.S. manages to get dozens of oil tankers out of the strait every night. "We must be united in putting pressure on Iran. I call on all countries to join us in our pressure campaign against Iran," he said. This story has been updated with new details.