‘Taking pride in fake expulsion’: Iran denies diplomats were ‘kicked out’ of US, says all left as scheduled

Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, has rejected reports that two Iranian diplomats were “kicked out” of the United States after the UN General Assembly, saying that members of Tehran’s delegation left the country as scheduled.

Iran’s Araghchi denies diplomats were ‘kicked out’ of US after UNGA (Bloomberg, AP)Araghchi hit out at the reports in a post on X on Sunday, calling the reported “expulsion” fake and accusing those celebrating it of showing “desperation and defeat”.

“All Iranian diplomats who attended UNGA, except one who departed earlier, left as scheduled,” Araghchi said.

He was responding to an Axios report that two members of Iran’s delegation to the UN General Assembly in New York had been “kicked out” of the US after allegedly failing to comply with an order from the US state department to leave the country.

Sharing a screenshot of the report, Araghchi criticised the characterisation of the diplomats’ departure and said such claims were inappropriate.

“Taking pride in fake diplomat "expulsion" is inappropriate for the head of any diplomatic corps. It oozes of desperation and defeat and is inconsistent with UN host nation obligations,” the Iranian foreign minister said.

According to Axios, the US state department had earlier directed Iran’s mission to the UN to ensure that its entire delegation left the country immediately after the General Assembly sessions ended.

The US news outlet's report said two members of the delegation remained in New York despite the order. The Iranian mission was informed on Friday that US authorities knew the two diplomats were still in the city and Washington reiterated its demand that they leave immediately.

“Secretary Rubio means business. 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 country,” a US official told Axios.

One of the two Iranian diplomats left New York on Friday night, while the second departed on Saturday morning, the report added.

The conflicting accounts come as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran face fresh uncertainty.

US and Iranian officials had met in New York the previous week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. US President Donald Trump has rejected a proposal from Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while saying he expected talks between Washington and Tehran to resume in the coming days.

Iranian state news agency IRNA, however, reported that Tehran had no further direct talks scheduled with Washington.

Priyanshu Priya is a journalist with nearly three years of newsroom experience, driven by a deep belief that stories, when told right, can shape conversations and hold power to account. Currently working as a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times, she writes on a wide spectrum of issues, from Indian politics and Delhi’s public concerns to global trade tensions and high-stakes crime stories. Priya joined HT at a pivotal moment, as Operation Sindoor was unfolding, and has since covered some of the most defining developments in recent times. Her reporting spans the Air India plane crash and the Pahalgam terror attack to India–US trade tensions, unrest in the Middle East, and key Assembly elections across states. She thrives in the fast-paced world of breaking news. In 2025–26, she was recognised with the Hindustan Times Digi Journo of the Q3 Award for driving over 4 million page views in a single month. A postgraduate in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and a Mass Communication graduate from Patna Women’s College, Priya began her news career with the Zee News English team, where she extensively covered the Lok Sabha Election 2024, along with the Delhi and Maharashtra Assembly elections. When she’s not tracking or writing the next big development, she unwinds by watching series and films, reading books with strong female protagonists, and revisiting comfort shows for the familiar ease they bring when life feels a little too jittery.Read More