The US Department of State announced Saturday that the United States expelled two members of the Iranian delegation who participated in the recent United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York after they ignored official orders to depart the country. A US official told (AFP) that the two delegates were discovered still present in New York long after the UN General Assembly sessions had concluded, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio "means business" regarding foreign diplomatic compliance. "Two additional members of the Iranian delegation were found to still be present in New York long after the UN General Assembly meetings ended.
Now they have been expelled from the United States," a US official confirmed to AFP. American news outlets reported that the State Department initially instructed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave the United States on Monday. Upon learning from the Iranian Mission to the United Nations that two members remained in the country as of Friday, US authorities moved forward with formal expulsion procedures.
According to reporting by Axios, one of the two delegation members departed the US late Friday night, while the second departed on Saturday morning. The expulsion follows high-level meetings between US and Iranian officials held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last week. The diplomatic incident coincides with ongoing friction over regional trade routes and nuclear talks.
US President Donald Trump rejected a proposal submitted by Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. However, Trump subsequently told US media outlets that he expects bilateral discussions to resume in the coming days. In contrast, Iran’s official state news agency (IRNA) reported that no additional direct negotiations are currently scheduled between Tehran and Washington.
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