Axios: Rubio orders Iranian delegation to leave New York after talks with Washington fail

Marco Rubio asked the Iranian delegation that was in New York for the UN General Assembly to leave the United States immediately, following the latest deadlock in talks between Washington and Tehran, Axios reported, citing a US official.

Although the Iranian delegation had been expected to leave after the General Assembly concluded, Rubio’s intervention was considered an unusual diplomatic step. The move once again reflected the high level of mistrust between the two countries, as efforts to reach an agreement that would end the war in the Middle East produced no results.

Mediators from Qatar attempted to bring the positions of the United States and Iran closer together, but failed to achieve significant progress, as neither side agreed to make concessions. Among the officials asked to leave New York was Rubio’s Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The US position

“Secretary Rubio removed the Iranian delegation, which had stayed longer than expected. The UN General Assembly had concluded, so it was time for them to leave,” the US official said.

On Monday morning, the White House hoped that talks with Iran would make progress during the day. But by the afternoon, it became clear that the negotiations had once again entered a deadlock.

That same evening, on Rubio’s orders, the US mission to the UN informed the Iranian side that Abbas Araghchi’s delegation had to leave New York immediately.

A few hours later, the Iranian delegation, which included Araghchi, went to the airport and at 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday flew from New York to Doha.

A second source told Axios that the United States had requested the departure of the Iranian delegation, but clarified that Araghchi had planned to return to Tehran on Monday evening anyway.

Next steps

Meanwhile, Qatari mediators continue communicating with both sides, with the aim of reaching an agreement based on the compromise proposal that was presented. According to regional sources, the proposal envisages concessions by Iran on the issue of nuclear weapons in exchange for the reopening of the country’s ports and the unfreezing of funds.

Asked by reporters on Wednesday how an agreement could be reached with a regime he described as “crazy,” President Trump replied: “I can blow them up.”

“I can blow them up. We have to make a decision. Either we blow them up or we make a deal. But time is running out. This will end very soon, one way or the other,” he added.