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WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a U.S. official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with President-elect Donald Trump.
Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk — a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government — on Monday in New York, according to a U.S. official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague.
The official said he had been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably Iran’s nuclear program, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-U.S. governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world's richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the U.N.
The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times.
“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement.
However, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied the country’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk in New York and expressed surprise at the extensive media coverage by American outlets on this matter.
Iran's outreach comes as Trump has been announcing picks for key foreign policy posts — including Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser — who are expected to be tough on Iran.
Intelligence officials have said Iran opposed Trump's second term, seeing him as more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
The Justice Department this month revealed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by an Iranian government official in September with planning Trump's assassination. The Iranian foreign ministry rejected the report.
The plot was part of what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil. Last summer, for instance, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in a murder-for-hire plot targeting American officials.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials, that Iran told the Biden administration in a written message delivered on Oct. 14 that it would not try to kill Trump. It was a response to an earlier warning from the U.S. that an attempt on Trump's life would be considered an act of war, the Journal reported.
In response to inquiries about reports in the Journal and other outlets, Iran's U.N. mission said it does not issue public statements about “official messages exchanged between the two countries.”
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has long declared its commitment to pursuing Martyr Soleimani’s assassination through legal and judicial avenues, while adhering fully to the recognized principles of international law,” its statement said.
While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, has repeatedly expressed his own disgust with Trump, Iran’s new reformist president has kept the door open to talks with Trump to seek relief from international sanctions.
The Trump transition team did not respond to messages seeking comment on the Iranian mission's statement Friday.
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Lederer reported from the United Nations. AP reporter Michelle L. Price contributed from West Palm Beach, Florida.