WASHINGTON: The United States has expelled two members of the Iranian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly after they remained in the country past their authorized stay, the State Department confirmed on Saturday.
According to a US official speaking to AFP, the two diplomats were found still in New York long after the UN General Assembly concluded. “They have now been kicked out of the US,” the official stated, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “means business.”
Reports indicate that the State Department had formally notified Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to depart the United States on Monday. However, after receiving information from the Iranian mission to the UN that certain members had not yet left by Friday, the US proceeded with their expulsion. One of the individuals departed on Friday night, and the second left on Saturday morning, according to Axios.
The expulsion comes shortly after US and Iranian officials held meetings in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly the previous week.
During this period, US President Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Tehran regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, though he expressed expectations that diplomatic talks would resume in the coming days. Meanwhile, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran currently has no further direct talks scheduled with Washington.
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