On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied a report published by The New York Times that said Iran’s ambassador to the UN held a meeting with Elon Musk about the incoming Trump administration.
“This (reported meeting) was a fabricated story by American media, and the motives behind this can also be speculated,” Araghchi said. “In my opinion, the American media’s fabrication about a meeting between Elon Musk and Iran’s representative is a form of testing the waters to see if the ground for such a move exists.”
Araghchi said Iran is looking for the incoming administration “to clarify its policies, and based on that, we will adjust our own policies.” He added that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei hadn’t given permission for such a meeting.
The Times report, which cited anonymous Iranian officials, said the meeting was about how to defuse tensions between the US and Iran. The Iranian sources described the meeting as “positive” and “good news.” However, based on President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, all signs indicate the incoming administration will take a hardline on Iran.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who was nominated for Secretary of State, and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), the next National Security Advisor, have called for a return to “maximum pressure,” a reference to the first Trump administration’s Iran policy, which involved tearing up the 2015 nuclear deal, imposing crippling sanctions, and assassinating Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
President Biden essentially continued the maximum pressure campaign, but Iran was able to export oil to markets in Asia where buyers aren’t afraid of US sanctions. The Financial Times reported on Saturday that the incoming administration plans to try to increase sanctions to “bankrupt” Iran to bring Tehran to the table for talks, a strategy that failed during the previous Trump administration.
