Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a US official, one of the steps that appeared to ease tensions with President-elect Donald Trump.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk — a Trump ally named this week. advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government — in New York on Monday, according to a U.S. official who was briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague.
As the official said, he reported that the discussion covered several issues, mainly Iran’s nuclear programSupport for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and opportunities to improve relations with the United States.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-U.S. government meeting, said no immediate decision had been made by either side. The official said the Iranians sought a meeting with Musk, the world’s richest man, and that it was not held during Iran’s mission to the UN.
The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, as first reported by The New York Times.
“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through force around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary steps to do so,” Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
However, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied that the country’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani had met with Musk in New York, and expressed surprise that the issue was covered by the United States media.
The Iran disclosure comes as Trump has announced his picks for key foreign policy positions, among others Sen. Marco Rubio For the Secretary of State and Deputy Mike Waltz For the national security adviser — he is expected to be tough on Iran.
Intelligence officials have said Iran opposes a second term for Trump, seeing it as more likely to escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s administration He ended the nuclear deal with IranHe reimposed and ordered the penalties Assassination of Iranian general Qassem SoleimaniIran’s leaders pushed for this action vow revenge.
Department of Justice this month He exposed an Iranian assassination-for-hire plotKilling Trump In September, an Iranian government official said a man was tasked with planning Trump’s assassination. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected the report.
The plot was part of what federal officials say is Iran’s ongoing effort to blackmail US government officials, including Trump, on US soil. Last summer, for example, The Department of Justice charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran In an assassination plot targeting United States officials.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials, that Iran told the Biden administration in a letter sent on October 14 that it would not try to kill Trump. It was a response to an earlier US warning that an attempt on Trump’s life would be considered an act of war, the Journal reported.
In response to questions about the reports in the magazine and elsewhere, Iran’s UN mission said it does not make public statements “about official messages exchanged between the two countries.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has long declared its commitment to pursue the killing of the martyr Soleimani through legal and judicial means, fully adhering to the recognized principles of international law,” his statement said.
Although Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state affairs, has expressed disgust with Trump, Iran’s new reformist president has said. he kept the door open for dialogue With Trump to ease international sanctions.
The Trump transition team did not respond to messages seeking comment on the Iran mission statement on Friday.
