Iranian UN delegation duo ‘kicked out’ of US: US State Department

The US State Department had told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave the country on Sept 28.

WASHINGTON – The United States has “kicked out” two members of the Iranian delegation who attended the recent UN General Assembly after they ignored an order to leave the country, the State Department said on Oct 3.

“Two more members of the Iranian delegation were found still in (New York) long after the United Nations General Assembly had passed. They have now been kicked out of the US,” a US official told AFP, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “means business.”

US media reported the State Department had told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave the country on Sept 28, and resorted to expelling the two members after learning from the Iranian mission to the UN they remained in the country on Oct 2.

One member of the delegation left on the night of Oct 2, while the second departed on Oct 3, in the morning, according to Axios.

US and Iranian officials had met the week prior in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

US President Donald Trump had rejected a proposal from Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but told US media he expected talks to resume in the coming days.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had no more direct talks scheduled with Washington. AFP