Rubio ‘Kicks Out’ Iranian Diplomats After Peace Talks Go Nowhere Again
Two members of Iran’s United Nations delegation left the United States after the State Department renewed its demand that they depart, according to U.S. officials, marking another confrontation between the Trump administration and Tehran following unsuccessful diplomatic talks.
An American official said Saturday that the representatives had remained in New York for several days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the delegation to leave.
“Secretary Rubio means business,” the official said. “Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in New York long after the United Nations General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the country.”
According to Axios, one representative departed Friday night and the other left Saturday morning.
Iran disputes the administration’s account, maintaining that its diplomats followed previously arranged travel schedules rather than being expelled.
The dispute grew out of an extended Iranian diplomatic visit surrounding the U.N. General Assembly. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stayed in New York after President Masoud Pezeshkian left following his address to the gathering.
Araghchi’s continued presence was intended to support additional negotiations involving Washington and Qatar. Officials were seeking a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the conflict and resume discussions over Iran’s nuclear program.
Those efforts failed to produce a breakthrough.
After weekend meetings involving Iranian and Qatari officials yielded little progress, Rubio instructed Araghchi and the delegation on Monday to leave the United States. One American official said the secretary concluded that they had “overstayed their welcome.”
Most delegation members departed soon afterward, according to the U.S. account. The State Department subsequently determined that two representatives remained in New York.
Axios reported that American officials contacted Iran’s U.N. mission Friday, informed it that Washington knew the two individuals were still in the country and again demanded their immediate departure.
Their exits followed that evening and the next morning.
Araghchi rejected the expulsion narrative Sunday, saying the departures took place according to established plans. Iran had similarly challenged Washington’s description of Rubio’s earlier instruction.
The Iranian mission said Araghchi’s travel schedule had already been communicated to the State Department on Sept. 17.
“The Iranian delegation left New York on Monday evening, in accordance with the schedule that had also been communicated to the U.S. Department of State in advance on September 17,” the mission said.
Tehran accused the State Department of presenting a false account after the negotiations stalled. U.S. officials have maintained that Rubio’s departure orders prompted the action.
The conflicting accounts underscore the hostility surrounding diplomatic efforts that had already struggled to produce meaningful results.
American and Iranian representatives communicated indirectly during the General Assembly, with Qatar carrying messages between the sides. The Strait of Hormuz, the ongoing war and Iran’s nuclear activities remained central to those exchanges.
President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal concerning the strategically important waterway but has indicated that he expects negotiations eventually to continue.
Iranian state media reported that no further direct talks with Washington were scheduled. That leaves the timing and format of any renewed engagement uncertain, even as intermediaries remain available.
The administration has also kept military pressure on the table.
In a recent interview, Trump said it was “possible” that the United States could intensify strikes against Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The president also said American forces had substantially replenished weapons inventories depleted during months of combat and that missile production was proceeding at an accelerated pace.
Those statements signal that Washington is preparing to sustain its military options while remaining open to a negotiated settlement.
The departure of the two Iranian representatives does not itself end the diplomatic process. Qatar and other intermediaries could still work to restart exchanges, and Trump has repeatedly expressed willingness to reach an agreement.
For now, the administration is standing behind Rubio’s handling of the delegation: U.S. officials say the remaining representatives were told to leave, and both subsequently departed. Whether renewed talks can achieve what the New York discussions could not remains unresolved.