The New York Times reported on Thursday that Elon Musk, an advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday.
The report cited two unnamed Iranian officials who said the discussion lasted over an hour and was about how to defuse tensions between the US and Iran. The Iranian sources described the meeting as “positive” and “good news.”
The reported meeting hasn’t been confirmed publicly by any side. “We do not comment on reports of private meetings that did or did not occur,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told the Times.
Musk has been close to Trump since strongly throwing support behind him during the presidential race and reportedly was involved in a recent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk’s SpaceX has played a crucial role in Ukraine’s war effort by providing Starlink terminals and services.
The Times report came after Trump announced most of his foreign policy team, which is stacked with Iran hawks. Trump took a hardline against Iran during his previous administration with the so-called “maximum pressure campaign,” which involved tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, imposing crippling economic sanctions, and assassinating Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Trump’s top cabinet picks, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), want a return to “maximum pressure,” and that’s what Israel expects. Israel Hayom reported on Thursday that Trump’s team is preparing plans to “topple Iran’s regime,” a policy that would almost certainly mean war with Iran.
But the Israel Hayom report didn’t offer any details about what the plans for regime change involve. Israel Hayom is published by Miriam Adelson, the widow of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who donated $100 million to Trump’s campaign to encourage him to pursue extremely pro-Israel policies, which means the news outlet is likely looking to influence the incoming administration to be as hawkish on Iran as possible.
For its part, Iran has signaled a willingness to talk with the incoming administration despite Trump’s history of economic warfare against the country. The Times reported earlier this week that many members of the government of Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian want to pursue some sort of deal with the Trump administration.
