Politics
Marco Rubio Booted Iranian Delegation From America After UN: ‘Overstayed Their Welcome’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s foreign minister and his delegation to leave New York after U.S. officials concluded the group had “overstayed their welcome” following the United Nations General Assembly.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had remained in New York after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed, as diplomats continued indirect talks aimed at resolving major disputes between Washington and Tehran.
Those discussions centered on issues including the Strait of Hormuz, the ongoing conflict and Iran’s nuclear program.
But after weekend meetings involving Iranian and Qatari mediators produced little progress, Rubio ordered Araghchi and his team to leave the country earlier than U.S. officials said they had planned.
Two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Rubio issued the directive Monday.
Araghchi and the rest of the delegation departed shortly afterward.
🚨🇺🇸🇮🇷 Washington just showed Iran’s foreign minister the door: Rubio ordered the delegation out of New York after talks stalled
The US mission told Iran’s team Monday evening that Abbas Araghchi and his delegation had to leave immediately, and they boarded a 1:20 a.m. flight to… pic.twitter.com/OB8f580bmY
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 1, 2026
The move marked a sharp diplomatic rebuke from the Trump administration after days of negotiations failed to produce a breakthrough.
The United States had granted visas to Pezeshkian, Araghchi and other Iranian officials so they could attend the annual U.N. gathering despite the continuing hostilities between the two countries.
Those visas came with tight restrictions on where the Iranian officials could travel while in the United States.
U.S. officials said the delegation’s continued presence was no longer warranted once the General Assembly had concluded and negotiations had stalled.
Iran pushed back on Washington’s version of events Wednesday.
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The Iranian mission to the United Nations said the delegation had not been expelled and claimed its departure happened according to a schedule that had already been provided to the State Department.
“The Iranian delegation left New York on Monday evening, in accordance with the schedule that had also been communicated to the US.Department of State in advance on September 17.”
Iran’s mission also accused the State Department of spreading a false account after failing to make progress in negotiations.
“Having achieved nothing, the State Department has resorted to propagating baseless and worthless news,” the mission added.
The dispute comes as U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving nuclear diplomacy continue without a final agreement.
President Donald Trump has already rejected Tehran’s latest proposal, while Qatari mediators have continued trying to bridge the gap between the two governments.
Marco Rubio‘s move underscored the administration’s increasingly hard line toward Tehran, signaling that Iranian officials would not be allowed to remain in the United States indefinitely while negotiations went nowhere.
Whether the departure was forced ahead of schedule remains disputed by Tehran, but U.S. officials maintain Rubio personally ordered the delegation out after deciding it had stayed long enough.
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