U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian delegation that was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly to leave the United States on Monday after negotiations between Washington and Tehran stalled, Axios reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was among the delegation members. He had remained in New York to take part in indirect talks mediated by Qatar.
According to two U.S. officials cited by Axios and the Associated Press, Rubio decided that the delegation should leave the United States earlier than planned because there had not been enough progress in the negotiations. One U.S. official said the General Assembly had concluded and that the delegation had “stayed longer than it should have.”
Iranian officials, however, disputed that account. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the delegation had left according to a previously scheduled itinerary and that the U.S. State Department had been informed in advance.
Araghchi and his delegation left New York in the early hours of Tuesday, while Qatari mediators continued efforts to bridge differences between the United States and Iran.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, as talks concerning the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program have made little progress.
