Reports have emerged suggesting that Iran’s U.N. Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, met with Elon Musk in New York earlier this week. The meeting was supposed to help reduce tensions between Tehran and the upcoming Trump administration. Both U.S. sources and Iranian officials have different opinions about whether the meeting happened or not.
A U.S. official, who requested anonymity, said that Iravani met with Musk. Musk was recently chosen to advise President-elect Donald Trump’s team on cutting federal government expenses. The meeting supposedly happened on Monday in New York, but not at the Iranian mission to the United Nations.
The official mentioned that they talked about various topics, such as Iran’s nuclear program, its backing of groups against Israel in the Middle East, and ways to improve U.S.-Iran relations. However, no decisions were made right away by either side.
The New York Times first reported the alleged meeting, but the Trump transition team hasn’t said if it happened or not. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement that Trump is focused on bringing peace to the world by being strong, but she didn’t talk about the reported meeting directly.
Iran’s Denial
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, denied that the meeting happened. Baghaei was surprised by all the media attention on the supposed incident, saying the stories weren’t true.
Context and Speculation
The reported meeting happened around the same time President-elect Trump named important foreign policy positions, like Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Representative Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor. Both are known for their strong views against Iran.
