Elon Musk holds meeting with Iran's UN ambassador: Report
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The meeting has been reportedly initiated at the request of Musk, and could have important implications for the strained US-Iran relations.
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Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, October 17, 2024. (AP)
Elon Musk reportedly met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, just a day before Donald Trump named Musk as one of the heads of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
The meeting focused on discussing ways to ease tensions between Iran and the United States, according to two Iranian officials who spoke to the New York Times. One official mentioned that Musk had requested the meeting, and that the ambassador chose the location.
As Trump prepares to address ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Musk, the world's richest man, has been actively involved in talks with foreign officials.
Earlier this month, Musk also reportedly joined a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Zelensky thanked Musk for the Starlink satellites provided to Ukraine.
Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, noted, "He’s now engaging the Iranians," adding, "And the Iranians have not engaged Americans in direct negotiations since before Trump left the nuclear deal, so this could be a very big deal."
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Trump’s relationship with Iran has been tumultuous. As president, he decided to unilaterally pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency and imposed severe economic sanctions on Iran.
During his term, Trump also ordered the assassination of Major General Qassim Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, in January 2020.
Toossi remarked, “Whether America can have successful negotiations with Iran under Trump really will have to do with Musk or whoever is going to lead these negotiations, and a team that is dedicated to a negotiating process, that is willing to do the hard work that actual diplomatic process and international relations entails.”
Iran-US communication channels remain open: Araghchi
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed, on Wednesday, that despite the deep-seated differences between Iran and the United States, communication channels between the two countries remain open.
Araghchi highlighted that these fundamental disagreements are unlikely to be resolved in the near future but emphasized the importance of managing the tensions to minimize costs and avoid escalation.
"We need to manage them to reduce the costs and tensions," he asserted.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Iranian official praised the recent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), calling it "a very good meeting" where the heads of state voiced strong, unified positions.
Araghchi emphasized that a decisive decision was taken during the meeting, with the final resolution consisting of 38 clauses. The decision was marked by a particularly strong condemnation of the Israeli regime, denouncing its actions in various regions. According to Araghchi, the tone of the resolution was unmistakably firm in its opposition to the Israeli policies and actions.
Read more: Iran not after nuclear weapons, trust not one-way street: Aragchi
