Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian UN delegation out of the country after negotiations stalled, a move Tehran calls baseless.
The Hill reported that Rubio directed the Iranian delegation to leave the United States immediately on Monday once high-level meetings tied to the United Nations General Assembly wrapped up.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had stayed in New York for indirect talks after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed the day after his UN speech. Araghchi planned to remain until Wednesday. He and his team left very early Tuesday instead.
Officials familiar with the order said Rubio decided the delegates had “overstayed their welcome” once those meetings concluded. Negotiations between the two countries had stalled.
The New York Post reported that Rubio told the Iranians on Monday to leave right away after little progress in weekend meetings that involved Qatari mediators. The focus of those talks included the Strait of Hormuz, ending the conflict, and nuclear issues.
The State Department had approved visas for the core Iranian delegation to the UN last month. NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcast partner, confirmed that detail with the department on Thursday. President Trump had allowed the visas for Iran’s president and foreign minister so they could attend the assembly amid ongoing U.S.-Iran hostilities.
Monday also marked seven months into the U.S.-Israeli conflict involving Iran. Trump has said the United States is looking for a deal. He rejected an Iranian peace proposal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and put a ceasefire in place.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Wednesday that negotiators received an official U.S. response to the proposal, though she offered no further details. Some have called for lifting the U.S. naval blockade off Iranian ports as part of any broader arrangement.
The early exit fits a pattern of pressure that includes recent coverage of stalled Iran talks and possible post-midterm strikes under Trump and Rubio.
Iran’s UN delegation pushed back hard on social platform X. It denied any order to leave and said the exit followed a plan already shared with Washington.
The delegation stated: “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.”
"Having achieved nothing, the State Department has resorted to propagating baseless and worthless news."
Just The News reported that unnamed sources said Rubio lost patience after the talks failed to advance and instructed Araghchi and his delegation to leave New York immediately.
That account lines up with the U.S. side’s description of limited progress even after the restricted visas were issued for UN attendance.
Readers tracking the wider military picture have seen reporting on the Pentagon’s third carrier strike group headed to the Middle East while Trump weighs options on Iran.
Earlier this week, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Gen. Hossein Mohebbi urged American voters to rally against Trump and shift U.S. policy toward Tehran. The Times of Israel obtained his letter to voters.
In that letter Mohebbi wrote: “Although American politicians often win your votes through deception and false promises, as Trump did, you can change the makeup of the government if you apply the criteria for good leadership in choosing the people you vote into office.”
The same regime that funds proxy forces continues to lecture U.S. citizens on how to cast ballots. Separate reporting has detailed how Iran bankrolled most of Hezbollah’s weapons haul in recent years.
Pezeshkian left New York quickly after his UN appearance. Araghchi stayed behind for the indirect channel. Once those sessions produced no breakthrough, Rubio ended the visit.
The sequence leaves little ambiguity about leverage. Visas were granted for a defined purpose. When the purpose ended and the talks went nowhere, the hosts closed the door.
Further carrier movements, including a third carrier sailing with nearly 10,000 troops, show the administration is preparing multiple tracks at once.
Iran wanted extended time in New York after the cameras left the General Assembly. Rubio decided the welcome had expired. Soft deadlines invite endless stalling; clear ones restore order.
