Elon Musk recently met with Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
The meeting took place at the ambassador’s residence in New York. There is no indication that President-elect Donald Trump’s national security transition team was aware of the meeting. Nor is it clear that his newly assembled team of advisors, including Iran hawks, Marco Rubio And Mike WaltzTrump’s picks for secretary of state and national security adviser respectively were aware of the meeting. It is also unclear whether Trump himself knew about the meeting.
The New York Timeswho was the first to report on the meeting, said two Iranian officials described it as a discussion on how to defuse tensions between the two countries.
The United States does not maintain diplomatic relations with Tehran, meaning the Biden administration’s contacts with Iran are indirect and usually conducted through third parties. American companies are largely barred from doing business in Iran due to heavy sanctions. The United States considers Iran the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
Musk’s meeting comes as the Iranians seek a channel into Trump’s orbit. They know that Trump is keen to make deals and has praised Iran’s negotiating prowess.
Many of the recent appointees to Trump’s national security team are Iran hawks, so seeking to meet with Musk was a way for Tehran to get around them.
Musk, the world’s richest man, also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr. Zelensky recently. Trump put him on the phone with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the Ukrainian leader called to congratulate the president-elect on his victory last week, according to the Associated Press. THE The Wall Street Journal also reported that Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022.
