Rubio Orders Iranian UN Delegation to Leave New York After Talks Stall

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave New York earlier than planned after indirect discussions between Washington and Tehran failed to make significant progress, according to US officials.

The development came as tensions between the United States and Iran remained high despite recent diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a possible path toward ending the conflict, addressing the situation around the Strait of Hormuz and restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Two US officials familiar with the decision said Rubio instructed the Iranian delegation on Monday to leave New York. They said the secretary concluded that the United Nations General Assembly had ended and that the Iranian officials had remained in the United States longer than necessary.

The officials spoke anonymously because they were discussing an internal government decision.

Araghchi had stayed in New York after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left the city following his address to the UN General Assembly. The foreign minister had been involved in indirect discussions with US officials through Qatari mediators.

Those talks focused on several major issues, including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility of ending the conflict and the resumption of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities. Recent meetings, however, failed to produce a breakthrough.

US officials said the lack of progress contributed to Rubio’s decision to bring the Iranian delegation’s stay in New York to an early end.

The delegation left the city during the early hours of Tuesday.

However, Iran has rejected the US account that its representatives were ordered to leave.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the delegation had departed according to a previously arranged schedule. The mission said the timetable had been communicated to the US State Department on September 17, several days before the departure.

The Iranian delegation accused the US State Department of promoting what it described as unfounded reports after the diplomatic discussions failed to produce an agreement.

The competing accounts have added another point of tension between Washington and Tehran at a time when both sides remain far apart on key issues.

The Iranian delegation had been allowed to enter the United States for the annual UN gathering despite the serious tensions between the two governments. The visas issued to the Iranian president, foreign minister and their delegations came with significant restrictions.

Araghchi’s continued presence in New York was linked to the diplomatic efforts taking place around the UN meetings. US and Iranian officials had held indirect discussions with Qatar acting as an intermediary. Earlier talks had generated some expectations of progress, but subsequent meetings produced limited results.

The United States has been seeking commitments from Iran concerning its nuclear program, while Tehran has linked potential steps on the Strait of Hormuz and broader negotiations to demands involving sanctions, the US naval blockade and other aspects of the conflict.

The diplomatic effort remains complicated by deep mistrust between the two governments and disagreements over which side should make the first major concessions.

The departure of Araghchi and his delegation therefore came at a sensitive moment for the wider negotiations.

While Iran maintains that its representatives simply followed their previously scheduled travel plans, US officials say Rubio intervened after determining that the delegation had remained in New York beyond the period Washington considered appropriate.

The dispute over the circumstances of the departure reflects the broader difficulties facing the diplomatic process.

For now, Qatar continues to play a role in efforts to communicate between Washington and Tehran, while the two sides remain engaged in discussions over the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.

Courtesy: ctvnews