Rubio orders Iran UNGA delegation to leave United States following stalled negotiations - report

Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran NewsThe delegation included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Rubio's Iranian counterpart, who had been involved in indirect negotiations with the United States during his stay in New York.Follow us on GoogleUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he boards a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft after his visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the US and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Manama on June 25, 2026.(photo credit: Eric Lee / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)OCTOBER 1, 2026 07:54Updated: OCTOBER 1, 2026 07:56US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly to leave the United States immediately on Monday after negotiations between Washington and Tehran stalled, Axios reported Thursday.The delegation included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Rubio's Iranian counterpart, who had been involved in indirect negotiations with the United States during his stay in New York.Although the Iranian officials were expected to leave the United States soon regardless, Rubio's decision constituted an unusual diplomatic rebuke as efforts to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war failed to produce a breakthrough, according to Axios."Secretary Rubio kicked out the Iranian delegation who had overstayed their welcome. The UN General Assembly was over, so it was time for them to go," a US official told Axios.Qatari mediators had been attempting to bridge gaps between Washington and Tehran, but neither side was willing to make the concessions necessary for an agreement, according to the report.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the day he addresses a special session of the Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations, aside of US-Iran talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2026. (credit: Pierre Albouy/Reuters)White House concludes Iran negotiations at stalemateThe White House believed on Monday morning that progress might still be possible later in the day, Axios reported. By late afternoon, however, US officials concluded that the negotiations had reached a stalemate.On Monday evening, acting on Rubio's instructions, the US mission to the UN informed Iran's mission that Araghchi and the delegation had to leave New York immediately, according to the US official cited by Axios.Araghchi and other members of the delegation left for the airport several hours later and boarded a flight from New York to Doha at 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday.A second source familiar with the matter told Axios that the US had demanded the delegation's departure, but noted that Araghchi was already scheduled to travel back to Tehran on Monday night.Follow us on Google