Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected as false reports that Iranian diplomats were expelled from the United States following the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In a post on X on Sunday, Araghchi said all Iranian diplomats who attended the UNGA had left the United States according to schedule, with only one remaining diplomat departing later.
“All Iranian diplomats who attended UNGA, except one who departed earlier, left as scheduled,” Araghchi wrote.
His remarks came after reports in U.S. media said the Iranian delegation had been ordered to leave the United States after indirect talks between Washington and Tehran made little progress. Axios, citing a U.S. official, reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had directed the Iranian delegation to leave New York, with two diplomats allegedly remaining after the General Assembly session ended.
Iran has disputed that account. Its UN mission said the delegation had left New York on Monday evening in accordance with a travel schedule that had been communicated to the U.S. State Department on September 17.
Araghchi described the reported expulsion as a “fake” claim and said taking pride in such an alleged expulsion reflected “desperation and defeat.”
He also argued that portraying the diplomats’ departure as an expulsion was inconsistent with the United States’ obligations as the host country of the United Nations.
The dispute comes amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Araghchi had remained in New York after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left following his UNGA appearance, while indirect discussions involving U.S., Iranian and Qatari officials focused on issues including the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict and Iran’s nuclear program.
The United States had allowed a limited Iranian delegation to attend the UNGA despite the ongoing conflict, citing its obligations under the UN headquarters agreement, while imposing restrictions on the delegation’s movements.
