Elon Musk discusses easing Iran tensions: A hopeful shift?
Billionaire Elon Musk, also an advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran's ambassador to the UN on November 11, according to the "New York Times." The discussion aimed to address and ease tensions between the two countries.
Iranian sources reported that Musk's conversation with Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani lasted over an hour, though the meeting's location remains undisclosed. According to the Iranian side, the discussion was "positive" and brought "good news."
It is reported that Elon Musk himself sought the meeting. An Iranian official mentioned that during the discussion, the ambassador proposed that the United States lift the sanctions imposed on Iran. The suggestion was also made for Musk to consider relocating some of his factories to Tehran.
Neither Trump, Musk, nor the spokesperson for the incoming U.S. president have commented on these reports. According to the "New York Times," an American journal, "An early direct meeting between a senior Iranian official and Mr. Musk raises the possibility of a change in tone between Tehran and Washington under the Trump administration, despite a charged history between the president-elect and Iran. One of the Iranian officials said that it was Mr. Musk who had requested the meeting and that the ambassador picked the site."
During his first presidential term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear agreement reached in 2015 between Iran and global powers, denouncing it as a "horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made." His administration imposed stringent economic sanctions affecting Iran's oil revenues and international banking transactions.
In 2020, Trump ordered the assassination of top Iranian politician Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force. In response to Trump's actions, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, banned negotiations with the American administration. Iranian politicians also vowed revenge for Soleimani's assassination.
Last week, U.S. federal prosecutors revealed that Iran planned to assassinate Trump before the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. The "NYT" noted that Musk, the richest man on Earth, has become a significant figure in Trump's circle. Recently, he has been involved in nearly every critical discussion led by the president-elect, including talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump is set to assume the U.S. presidency at the end of January 2025. Musk is expected to oversee the state efficiency department, which is tasked with dismantling bureaucracy and reducing expenditures.
