US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asked Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly to leave the country immediately after talks between Washington and Tehran stalled. This was reported by Axios, citing a US official and a second source familiar with the matter.
The request was made on Monday, September 28, after the expected diplomatic breakthrough did not take place. Among the Iranian representatives in New York was Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The US mission to the UN informed the Iranian mission that the delegation should leave the city immediately.
“The UN General Assembly is over and it was time for them to leave“, the US official was quoted as saying by Axios. Rubio reportedly ordered the Iranian delegation to leave after it became clear that the talks had reached an impasse.
The Iranian representatives headed to the airport a few hours later. The delegation, including Araghchi, left New York for Doha at 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The second source confirmed that the United States had requested the departure, but said Araghchi had planned to return to Tehran that evening anyway.
Qatar continues to mediate
Qatari mediators have tried to bring Washington and Tehran closer together, but according to Axios they have made no significant progress. Both sides have refused to budge on key issues, and the talks have been fruitless.
Qatar-based mediators have continued to hold talks with the US and Iranian sides after the delegation left. This leaves a channel open for indirect talks, but no new meeting between representatives of the two countries has been announced yet.
Amid the diplomatic impasse, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Washington will soon have to choose between a deal with Iran and military action. "We're going to hit them or we're going to make a deal," Trump told reporters, as quoted by Axios.
Sources: Axios