Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a US official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with president-elect Donald Trump.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Mr Musk — a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government — on Monday in New York, according to a US official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague.
The official said he had been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States.
No immediate decisions were taken by either side, the official added, saying the Iranians sought the meeting with Mr Musk, the world’s richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the UN.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement: “The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that.”
However, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied their ambassador met Mr Musk in New York, and expressed surprise at the extensive media coverage by outlets in the United States.
Iran’s outreach comes as Mr Trump has been announcing picks for key foreign policy posts — including senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state and representative Mike Waltz for national security adviser — who are expected to be tough on Iran.
The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times.
Intelligence officials have said Iran opposed Mr Trump’s second term, seeing him as more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran.
Mr Trump’s administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
The Justice Department this month revealed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Mr Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by an Iranian government official in September with planning Mr Trump’s assassination. The Iranian foreign ministry rejected the report.
The plot was part of what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target US government officials, including Mr Trump, on US soil.
Last summer, for instance, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in a murder-for-hire plot targeting American officials.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed US officials, that Iran told the Biden administration in a written message delivered on October 14 that it would not try to kill Mr Trump.
It was a response to an earlier warning from the US that an attempt on Mr Trump’s life would be considered an act of war, the Journal reported.
In response to inquiries about reports in the Journal and other outlets, Iran’s UN mission said it does not issue public statements about “official messages exchanged between the two countries”.
