Iran Denies Report of Envoy’s Meeting with Elon Musk

AFP/APP

Tehran: Iran’s foreign ministry has “categorically” denied a report by The New York Times claiming a meeting between Tehran’s ambassador to the United Nations and US billionaire Elon Musk.

In an interview with state news agency IRNA, ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei expressed “surprise” at the coverage in American media. “Such a meeting never occurred,” he stated emphatically.

The New York Times reported on Friday that Musk, a prominent ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, had met with Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, describing the alleged encounter as “positive” based on anonymous Iranian sources.

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Before the denial, some Iranian newspapers aligned with the reformist party supporting President Masoud Pezeshkian had described the rumored meeting favorably.

The denial comes amid indications from Iranian officials of a potential willingness to address longstanding issues with the West in the lead-up to Trump’s re-election.

Diplomatic ties between the US and Iran were severed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, communication has primarily been conducted via intermediaries, including Switzerland and Oman.