Iranian officials assured the New York Times that the meeting took place in the United States, a week after Donald Trump’s election victory.
Elon Musk and the ambassador of Iran before the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, meeting this Monday, November 11 at USA as they declared to New York Times two Iranian officials with knowledge of the matter.
The sources said – on condition of anonymity – that the motive for the conversation was assess how to reduce tensions between the North American country and the Middle East .
The meeting took place the same week in which the billionaire from companies including Tesla and SpaceX was appointed by the president-elect, Donald Trump to direct the call Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE, for its acronym in English).
This announcement was made on Tuesday, November 12, and both the businessman and the former president They had previously suggested that Musk could potentially play a role in his second government. at the White House.
During the presidential campaign that led to Trump’s election victory earlier this month, The tech mogul brought in significant funding and publicly voiced his support towards the Republican standard bearer.
Musk, who is in first place on the list of billionaires of the Forbes , positioned himself as a close advisor to the president-elect who will assume his second term on January 20, 2025.
What do we know about the meeting between Elon Musk and the Iranian ambassador to the UN
Iranian officials said Times that the meeting between Musk and the Iranian ambassador to the UN It lasted over an hour and took place at a secret location in New York. .
They clarified that the objective of the proceeding was assess how the United States and Iran could reduce tensions that exists between the two countries.
Sources described the meeting as “positive” and “good news” .
However, when the aforementioned media outlets consulted Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, he he was rather reserved and neither confirmed nor denied that the instance has been made.
“We do not comment on reports of private meetings that did or did not take place.” responded to the American newspaper.
For his part, Musk did not respond to requests for comment. of the Times.
The transition spokesperson for the new Trump administration and his vice president JD Vance, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement: “The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace by force in the world “.
“When I return to the White House, will take the necessary measures to achieve this “, he added.
One of the Iranian officials said that It was Musk who requested the meeting and the ambassador who chose the location .
An Iranian Foreign Ministry source said that Amir Saeid Iravani suggested obtaining sanctions exemptions and exporting some of his companies to Tehran .
From the Iranian mission to the United Nations, they said that They did not want to comment publicly on the meeting .
What role will Elon Musk play in Donald Trump’s administration?
The billionaire was nominated by Trump for head the so-called Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) an organization that the president-elect plans to introduce upon his return to the White House.
The Republican Party standard-bearer said businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to join board of the wallet.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy “Eliminate excessive regulations, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
After playing an active role during the presidential campaign, Musk participated in several meetings with the president-elect .
In fact, after the election results were known, participated in a call that Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
It is good to remember that Ukraine faces the invasion of Russia which started on February 24, 2022.
As the war spread, Military and economic aid programs provided by the United States and kyiv’s Western allies have been fundamental so that his troops could counter the Russian offensive.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has promised an immediate end to the conflict and criticized the costs it poses to his country. under the administration of current President Joe Biden.
According to sources consulted by the Washington Post , had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 7 two days after the elections in the United States.
People with knowledge of his contact said – on condition of anonymity – that They addressed the issue of the invasion of Ukraine .
They detailed that Trump suggested Putin not escalate war and expressed interest in follow-up negotiations for a “resolution”.
The sources also indicated that the Americans He has said privately that he would support a deal in which Russia would retain some of the captured Ukrainian territory. .
Why there are tensions between Iran and the United States (and what role Trump played in this scenario)
During his first term in the White House, In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers .
He reimposed sanctions against the Middle Eastern country and warned that “any country that helps” Tehran “could also be sanctioned.”
“The deal was so poorly negotiated that Even if Iran complied with all demands, the regime would be on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons in a short period of time. “, he affirmed at the time in statements saved by the BBC .
In addition to accusing Iran of “supporting terrorism”, he stressed that “We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under this decadent and deteriorating deal” .
Tehran has insisted that its nuclear program is not aimed at developing weapons of this type. .
In 2020, Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian general Qasim Suleimani .
The attack was carried out with unmanned drones near Baghdad International Airport, Iraq country where the military leader had arrived by plane from Damascus, Syria.
After the offensive – which left no survivors – Iran has promised retaliation and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has banned any negotiations with the Trump administration. .
At the beginning of November 2024, just three days after the holding of the elections which gave the winner to the Republican, the Ministry of Justice of The United States revealed an alleged Iranian plan assassinate Trump, while he was still campaigning .
According to the criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, The attack was to be carried out before the elections were held. .
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the accusations .
However, the leaders of Tehran currently They debate what relations with the United States will be like under Trump’s new presidential term. .
Information collected by the Times they claim that Some members of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s new government favor negotiation .
They argue that reaching agreements with Trump could help that the sanctions be lifted .
On the other hand, the most conservative representatives of the government oppose it negotiate with him.
Anyway, Khamenei is responsible for approving or rejecting any negotiation or agreement.
An important point that has also increased tensions between Iran and Trump is his support for Israel .
It should be remembered that the country led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the middle of a war which broke out on October 7, 2023 .
This is the date the activist group Hamas carried out a direct offensive against Israeli territory which left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages, of whom nearly a hundred remain captive.
Israel responded with continued attacks on the Gaza Strip which caused more than 42,000 deaths, according to local authorities.
The conflict has escalated to the point where their forces are fighting with Hamas in Gaza, with Iran, with Hezbollah in Lebanon, with the Houthis in Yemen and with Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq .
Such pieces are members of what is called Axis of resistance a network of militias fueled by Iran and whose common goal is to counter the influence of Israel and the United States in the Middle East.
The wallet holder Iranian Foreign Affairs met on Thursday, November 14, with the head of the UN atomic monitoring body. Rafael Grossi.
After the proceedings held in Tehran, Araghchi wrote on his social networks: “Disputes can be resolved through cooperation and dialogue . “We agree to proceed with courage and good will.”
“Iran has never left the negotiating table on its peaceful nuclear program” added the minister.
The organization’s director for Iran International crisis group Ali Vaez, posed at Times that Iranian leaders and US president-elect appear willing to talk .
“In general, everything is possible with Trump . “He seems to be interested in a deal,” the analyst said.
However, he added, Some of his advisers may encourage other approaches to the relationship, such as increased pressure on Iran. .
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
