US expels two Iranian diplomats who stayed past UN General Assembly, Axios reports
In short
Two members of Iran’s delegation to the United Nations were expelled from the United States after they failed to leave on a State Department demand, according to Axios, as carried by TASS, RBC and Kommersant. Kommersant reported that the State Department’s demand was sent to Iran’s UN mission on 28 September and repeated on 2 October, with one diplomat flying out during the night of 3 October and the second that morning. The expulsions followed UN General Assembly contacts between the Iranian and US delegations, held through Qatari mediators, that produced no result, according to Kommersant.
Why it matters
The reported expulsions point to a breakdown in contacts between Washington and Tehran after the UN General Assembly session, at a moment when, according to RBC, US President Donald Trump has not ruled out resuming strikes on Iran after November’s midterm elections. The reports come from a single outlet, Axios, and are carried by Russian outlets without official confirmation from either government, so the state of US–Iran relations remains asserted rather than officially confirmed.
Key facts
- Two members of the Iranian delegation were expelled from the United States, according to Axios, in reports carried by TASS, RBC and Kommersant. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A US official told Axios that the two were still in New York although the UN General Assembly session had long ended, and that they had now been expelled. [ 3 ]
- The State Department sent a demand to Iran’s mission to the UN on 28 September, and US authorities repeated it on 2 October, Axios reported, according to Kommersant. [ 3 ]
- One Iranian diplomat flew out of the United States during the night of 3 October and the second that morning, according to Axios data cited by Kommersant. [ 3 ]
- The UN General Assembly’s main general debate ran from 22 to 28 September, and on the final day the Iranian and US delegations held talks through Qatari mediators that produced no results. [ 3 ]
- On 28 September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded that the Iranian delegation leave the country immediately, Kommersant reported. [ 3 ]
- RBC said the demand to leave the United States followed a deadlock in Washington–Tehran talks at the UN General Assembly, and that Trump had earlier allowed for the resumption of attacks on Iran after the November midterm elections. [ 2 ]
- TASS cited Axios’s assessment that the development indicates attempts to settle the conflict have produced no result. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Two members of the Iranian delegation were expelled from the United States, as reported by Axios and carried by TASS, RBC and Kommersant. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The expulsions came after the UN General Assembly, where Iranian and US contacts did not produce a result. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The demand to leave the United States came from the US side, per Axios accounts carried by the outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Washington or Tehran has officially confirmed the expulsions. All three documents attribute the report to Axios and its sources; no statement from the State Department, the Iranian government or Iran’s UN mission is cited.
- The exact date the diplomats were first required to leave and what deadline applied. Kommersant dates the State Department’s demand to 28 September and a repeat demand to 2 October, but no official document or second outlet states the deadline or any consequences for missing it.
- Trump’s remarks about resuming attacks on Iran after the November midterms. This appears only in RBC’s summary, without a second outlet or official source in the documents.
- The identity of the two diplomats and the details of their departures. Only Kommersant gives the departure timing, citing Axios; no names are given in any document.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes its report on the Axios story about the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats from the United States. [ 1 ]
- RBC publishes its report, adding that the demand to leave followed a deadlock in Washington–Tehran talks at the UN General Assembly. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant publishes a detailed account citing Axios, including the 28 September demand, the 2 October repeat and the 3 October departures. [ 3 ]