Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Nov. 16 dismissed reports about a meeting between Tehran’s United Nations envoy and U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, who is also a close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.
U.S. media outlets, including The New York Times, reported that Musk and Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani had an hour-long conversation in New York on Monday.
The Iranians, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss policy publicly, described the meeting as “positive” and “good news,” the New York Times reported on Nov. 14.
“This was a fabricated story by American media, and the motives behind this can also be speculated,” Araqchi said during an interview with state television, reiterating an earlier denial from Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
The Iranian minister described the report of a meeting as a “media fabrication” intended to test the waters and gauge the potential for such an occurrence. “We are still waiting for the new US administration to clarify its policies, and based on that, we will adjust our own policies. Right now, it is neither the time for such meetings nor is it appropriate,” Araqchi added.
He also emphasized that the leadership had not authorized such a meeting, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Olena Goncharova