Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave the US after negotiations stalled, according to American officials cited Associated Press.
The reported instruction came on September 28, following limited progress in efforts to end the war and restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s UN mission rejected the expulsion account. It said the delegation departed according to a schedule communicated to the US State Department on September 17, describing reports of a forced departure as baseless.
The two accounts leave the circumstances disputed: American officials describe an immediate departure order, while Iran maintains its travel arrangements were already settled.
Leaving New York did not end diplomatic contact. Moreover, Araghchi received American feedback through Qatari mediators in Doha on September 29.
The discussions concerned Iran’s proposed seven day plan to build trust and reopen Hormuz under specified conditions. An official briefed on the negotiations said disagreement centred on the sequence of steps.
The reported order therefore marks another confrontation during negotiations that remained active through intermediaries, despite the failure to secure a breakthrough in New York.
