State Dept says US ‘kicked out’ two Iranian diplomats after UN General Assembly
The United States has expelled two members of the Iranian delegation who remained in the country after attending the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to the US State Department.
A US official told AFP that the two Iranian delegation members were still in New York after the General Assembly had ended despite being instructed to leave the United States. The official said the two were subsequently removed from the country, signaling that the administration of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was taking the matter seriously.
US media reports said the State Department had instructed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and members of his delegation to leave the United States on Monday. The decision to expel the two individuals reportedly followed information from Iran’s mission to the United Nations indicating that they had remained in the country several days later.
According to Axios, one of the Iranian delegation members left the United States on Friday night, while the second departed on Saturday morning. The departures came after US authorities became aware that the two individuals were still in New York.
The development adds another layer of tension to an already complicated relationship between Washington and Tehran. Although American and Iranian officials had met in New York the previous week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, diplomatic engagement between the two countries remains uncertain.
The meetings had raised hopes that the two sides might find a path toward renewed dialogue, particularly as tensions surrounding regional security and the Strait of Hormuz continue to attract international attention.
US President Donald Trump has previously rejected a proposal from Tehran concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Trump indicated to US media that he expected discussions with Iran to resume in the coming days.
The Strait of Hormuz remains strategically important to global energy markets because of its role as a major route for international oil shipments. Any prolonged disruption in the area could therefore have consequences extending far beyond the Middle East.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA, however, reported that Tehran currently had no further direct talks scheduled with Washington. The conflicting signals highlight the uncertainty surrounding the future of US-Iran diplomatic engagement.
For observers watching relations between the two countries, the expulsion of the Iranian delegation members is more than a procedural diplomatic incident. It comes at a sensitive moment when both governments appear to be balancing pressure, negotiations and broader regional security concerns.
The situation also demonstrates how quickly diplomatic contact can shift from negotiation to confrontation. While officials from Washington and Tehran have recently engaged in discussions, the latest development suggests that major differences between the two governments remain unresolved.
For ordinary people watching these developments, the bigger concern is what comes next. Any escalation between the United States and Iran could affect regional stability, international diplomacy, energy markets and the wider geopolitical landscape.
The latest expulsions do not necessarily close the door on future negotiations, but they underline how fragile the current relationship remains. Whether Washington and Tehran return to direct talks in the coming days could determine whether tensions begin to ease or move in a more confrontational direction.
The immediate departures of the two Iranian delegation members bring the latest episode to a close, but the larger diplomatic story between the United States and Iran is far from over.
Source: AFP, with reporting referenced from US media and IRNA.