Settled
US and Iran dispute whether Tehran's UN delegation was expelled
In short
The United States and Iran are giving conflicting accounts of the departure of Iranian diplomats who attended last month's UN General Assembly in New York. US officials cited by Axios and AFP say two delegation members stayed on after the assembly closed and were “expelled”; Iran's mission to the UN says they left on a schedule it had notified to the State Department on Sept. 17. The dispute comes with US-Iran talks stalled and no further direct meetings scheduled, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
Why it matters
The standoff over the delegation's stay in New York runs alongside stalled US-Iran negotiations, and the conflicting accounts leave both sides trading claims through the press rather than at the table. With IRNA reporting no further direct talks scheduled, the episode adds to the uncertainty over whether diplomacy between Washington and Tehran resumes.
Key facts
- US and Iranian officials give conflicting accounts of the departure of Iranian diplomats who attended the UN General Assembly in New York: Washington says they were expelled, Iran says they left on a pre-notified schedule. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Citing an unnamed US government official, Axios reported that two members of the Iranian delegation were still in New York long after the assembly closed and had been “expelled”; AFP quoted a State Department official using the same word. [ 1 , 2 ]
- According to US officials cited by Axios, Washington notified Iran's mission to the United Nations on Oct. 2 that the two diplomats had to leave immediately, and they departed on the night of Oct. 2 and the morning of Oct. 3. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Iran's mission to the United Nations called the expulsion claim an unfounded report and said the departure followed a schedule it had notified to the US State Department on Sept. 17. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Axios reported on Sept. 30 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded on Sept. 28 that the delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leave immediately, and that members left New York at about 01:20 on Sept. 29 on a flight to Doha. [ 1 , 2 ]
- US and Iranian officials met for about three hours in New York on Sept. 22 during the assembly. [ 1 , 2 ]
- President Donald Trump said on Sept. 26 that he had rejected an Iranian proposal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz conveyed through Qatari mediation, and that he expected talks to resume within days; IRNA reported no further direct talks are scheduled. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Seoul Economic Daily said the delegation's US visas had raised expectations of progress, and that talks returned to deadlock after Trump rejected Iran's “seven-day plan.” [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UN General Assembly's general debate was held at UN headquarters in New York from Sept. 22 to 28, and the session closed on Sept. 28. [ 1 , 2 ]
- US and Iranian officials met in New York for about three hours on Sept. 22 during the assembly. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The US and Iranian accounts of the delegation's departure differ, with Washington saying the diplomats were expelled and Iran saying they left on a schedule it had notified in advance. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Iran's mission to the United Nations called the expulsion claim unfounded and said it had notified the US State Department of the schedule on Sept. 17. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that no further direct US-Iran talks are scheduled. [ 1 , 2 ]
- US officials cited by Axios say two Iranian diplomats left New York on the night of Oct. 2 and the morning of Oct. 3. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the two diplomats reported to have left on Oct. 2–3 are the same people as the delegation members who left on Sept. 29. The documents report the two departures separately, both citing Axios, and do not reconcile them.
- Whether the delegation was expelled or left voluntarily, and exactly when it was asked to go. The expulsion account rests on unnamed US officials cited by Axios and AFP, and Iran's mission denies it; the documents state no independent confirmation.
- Whether further US-Iran talks will be held. Trump was reported as saying he expected talks to resume within days, while IRNA said no further direct meetings are scheduled.
- What Iran's “seven-day plan” contained. Only the Seoul Economic Daily mentions it and gives no details of its contents.
What local media are saying
Official sourcesYonhap, the national news agency, framed the story as a contest of competing US and Iranian claims, setting out the Axios reports in sequence and giving Iran's rebuttal comparable space, and it carried IRNA's line that no further direct talks are scheduled.
[
1
]
Business mediaThe Seoul Economic Daily led with the stalled ceasefire negotiations and the “expelled versus left on schedule” split, noting that the issuance of US visas had raised expectations of progress and that talks returned to deadlock after Trump rejected Iran's “seven-day plan.”
[
2
]