Overstayed Their Welcome: Rubio Ordered Iranian Delegation Out Of New York As Talks Stalled

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave New York after US-Iran talks stalled, according to two US officials and an Axios report. The move came after limited progress in weekend discussions involving Qatari mediators over the Strait of Hormuz, the war and Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Trump administration had granted visas, though with severe restrictions, to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Araghchi and their delegations to attend the UN General Assembly. Pezeshkian left New York a day after addressing the UN last week, while Araghchi remained behind for indirect diplomatic contacts.

According to the US officials, Rubio told the Iranian delegation on Monday to leave immediately after negotiations reached a stalemate. One official said Rubio believed the Iranians had “overstayed their welcome” because the high-level UN meetings were over. Araghchi and his team then departed New York and travelled towards Doha.

The White House had initially hoped that negotiations could make progress on Monday, but by afternoon it had become clear that the discussions had stalled. Qatari mediators have continued efforts to bridge differences between Washington and Tehran.

However, Iran disputed the US account that its delegation had been expelled. Iran’s UN mission said the delegation had left New York on Monday evening according to a departure schedule communicated to the US State Department on September 17. It called the US account “baseless” and said the delegation’s departure had already been planned.

Despite that rejection, Iran said it had received an official US response to its proposal. After returning from New York, Araghchi presented the response to Pezeshkian and the Cabinet. Iranian officials have not disclosed its contents.