Trump's 'close adviser' Musk meets Iran's UN ambassador at a secret site to defuse tensions

Barely days after Donald Trump’s 2024 US Presidential election win, his close adviser and tech billionaire Elon Musk met Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York and discussed how to defuse tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The New York Times in a report cited two Iranian officials aware of the development as saying that the meeting between Musk and Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani took place on Monday (November 11) and lasted for more than an hour.

Musk meets Iranian Ambassador at a secret location

Musk, who has been named as the co-director of a new government efficiency agency, held talks with Iravani at a secret location.

The newspaper quoted anonymous Iranian sources as describing the meeting as “positive” and “good news.”

Musk requested meet, Iran ambassador choose the venue

One of the Iranian officials quoted by NYT said that Musk had requested the meeting and the site was picked by the Iranian ambassador.

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The report quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry official as saying that during the meeting, Iran’s ambassador urged Musk to seek US sanctions exemptions and conduct business in Tehran.

What does Musk’s meeting with Iran ambassador suggest?

Though there has been no confirmation yet by the Trump transition team or Iran’s mission to the United Nations about the Musk-Iranian ambassador meeting, but, if confirmed, it offers an indication that Trump is serious about diplomacy with Tehran and not choosing the more hawkish approach favored by many conservatives in his Republican Party as well as Israel.

It also raises the possibility of a change in tone between the US and Iran under Trump’s leadership, despite a charged history between the president-elect and Iran.

In his last term in office, Trump had pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers which was negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama.

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Trump termed Iran’s nuclear programme as “a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made”. He also slapped tough economic sanctions on Iranian oil revenues and international banking transactions.

Also, Trump had ordered the assassination of a top Iranian general, Qassim Suleimani, in Iraq in 2020.

Iran’s supreme leader, in response, banned any negotiations with then Trump administration and officials in the country vowed to avenge Suleimani’s killing.

Musk getting more powerful in the Trump transition

From campaigning to Trump’s return to power, Musk has emerged as the most powerful citizen and last week he joined the president-elect on telephone calls with world leaders including Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Musk has also played a key role in providing communication capability to Ukraine engaged in a conflict with Russia.

With inputs from agencies.