Iran downplays indirect talks with U.S., and other Mideast developments

Iran reiterated its conditions for ending more than seven months of war with the United States, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks about the occupied West Bank during the United Nations General Assembly.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. More coverage on the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday Iran had maintained its negotiating stance in talks with U.S. officials, demanding the United States end its blockade on Iranian ports and release Iran's frozen assets.

Esmail Baghaei said the indirect talks took place via Qatari mediators on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

“This was not anything new,” Baghaei said of Iran’s conditions.

The unscheduled meeting — the first indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unraveled — came as intermittent attacks continue in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coastline, where commercial shipping remains below prewar levels.

Netanyahu’s office called Macron’s remarks at the United Nations a “grotesque absurdity,” objecting to his claim about the Palestinian militant group Hamas' activity in the West Bank.

Macron decried the situation in Gaza. He also criticized the escalating Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, saying Israel could not invoke Hamas to justify its actions in the territory. He used terminology in his French-language remarks that could mean Hamas has either never governed or operated in the West Bank.

A French diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media, said Macron meant Hamas had never governed the West Bank.

The U.N. has not released an official translation.

Hamas has long maintained support in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and claimed responsibility for attacks there, though it has never governed in the semiautonomous territory. During the war in Gaza, Israel has intensified military operations in the West Bank, launching an offensive in early 2025 that targeted refugee camps it described as bastions of Palestinian militancy.

The dispute adds to tensions since France recognized a Palestinian state in September 2025.

Earlier this month, France joined Canada and several European countries in announcing steps to restrict trade from Israeli settlements. France has long opposed Israeli settlements as contrary to international law and put out a statement Sunday saying it ″firmly condemns the terrorist attack″ that killed a French-Israeli over the weekend.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at his Likud party New Year event in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian waves to media and officials as he boards his plane while leaving Mehrabad airport for New York to attend the UN General Assembly, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew fired reserve-team coach Federico Higuaín late Tuesday, following allegations of physical abuse and sexist conduct toward a female match official.

Higuaín, the brother of former Argentina and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín, recently served a two-game suspension following an incident involving a female referee in an MLS NEXT Pro match on Aug. 23, according to local media.

The Professional Soccer Referees Association, a body representing match officials across the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement on social media that a male coach had been banned for two games after squeezing a female official's hand and refusing to let go, and also accusing him of saying to her: “Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.”

The PSRA statement didn't specifically name Higuaín, a former Columbus Crew player and the coach of Crew 2 — the club's reserve team — since January 2025.

“We determined it’s in the best interest of our club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuaín from his responsibilities," Issa Tall, Crew's general manager, said in a statement.

“After conversations this week and further assessing the past month, our club’s standards of what’s expected from a leader for one of our teams have not been met.”

The club statement did not specifically refer to the Aug. 23 incident at a match between Crew 2 and Huntsville City FC.

The PSRA statement said the MLS NEXT Pro league's response to the incident — the two-game suspension — fell “drastically short of the right message to the participants, the referees, and the public.”

“Women make every level of this game better," the statement said. "They should not have to endure intimidation or degrading comments to prove it. Our female officials have proven their excellence on the world stage.

"They deserve the same respect, dignity, and safe working environment as every other official.”

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

FILE - Inter Miami forward Federico Higuain waves to fans as he leaves the field the second half of an MLS soccer match against New York City FC, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, during, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)