Iran 'Categorically' Rejects NYT Report of Envoy Meeting Elon Musk

Tehran: Iran's foreign ministry denied claims of a meeting between its UN ambassor and Elon Musk, world's richest person and a close ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump , Iranian state media (IRNA) reported on Saturday.

During an interview with state news agency IRNA, Iranian spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei 'categorically denied' such a meeting and expressed 'surprise' at American media report.

New York Times reported that Elon Musk who received a post in upcoming Trump ministration, met Amir Saeid Iravani, an Iranian ambassor to UN.

Iranian newspapers, especially those linked to reformist faction supporting President Masoud Pezeshkian, initially reported meeting in a positive light before Baghaei’s denial.

According to Iranian officials, a meeting between Elon Musk and Iran’s envoy Amir Saeid Iravani took place at a secret location in New York on Monday and lasted over an hour. discussion was reportedly centered on ways to ease tensions between two countries, was reported by Times.

reports of alleged meeting raised questions about Musk's possible influence in incoming ministration, especially in shaping U.S. foreign policy.

Just a week ago, day after presidential election, Musk joined a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to two sources. Trump put call on speaker, and Zelensky thanked Musk for his support in providing communications via Starlink to Ukraine during ongoing war with Russia, source ded.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would he a new "Department of Government Efficiency" in his second term. Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has received billions in federal contracts, including from NASA, military, and or U.S. agencies. announcement quickly sparked concerns over potential conflicts of interest.