New York, Nov 16 (IANS) In apparent attempts by Iran to prepare for the return of Donald Trump as US President, a senior diplomat had a secret meeting with Elon Musk, a top adviser to the President-elect, and separately Teheran assured the US government that it was not trying to assassinate Trump, according to media reports.
Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur advising Trump met with Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, at his New York residence, according to CBS News quoting unnamed sources.
It said that it was not clear if the nominees for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Mike Walz, who are vehement opponents of Iran, were aware of the meeting.
The New York Times reported that according to two Iranian officials the meeting was “positive” and there was “good news”.
Musk has emerged as a possible behind-the-scenes negotiator on behalf of Trump who has promised to end the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts.
During a phone talk with Ukraine President Zelensky, Trump brought into the conversation Musk, who has been in touch with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
After Trump ordered the killing of Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leader Qassem Soleimani, Iran cut off negotiations with the US and this may be a back channel attempt to reach out to Trump.
Trump scrapped the nuclear deal reached with Iran by the US and other UN Security Council permanent members, Germany and the European Union to curtail its nuclear development in return for loosening sanctions.
This is one of the factors that contributed to the rising tension in the Middle East where Tehran has unleashed its proxies.
Iran has reasons to fear increased hostility when Trump returns to the White House.
Karoline Leavitt, who will be Trump’s press secretary, said cryptically, “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”.
Teheran has told President Joe Biden’s administration that it is not trying to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, after having been warned it would be seen as an “act of war” and the arrest of two men in an alleged plot.
Tehran sent the message through Switzerland which handles diplomatic relations between the two countries, according to multiple media reports on Friday.
Meanwhile, NBC reported that the assurance from Iran that it would not try to assassinate Trump came in a written message responding to US warnings that an attack on Trump would be “an act of war”.
The US charged two men last week with plotting with an Afghan intermediary of the IRGC to kill Trump. And in July, a Pakistani man was arrested and charged with trying to hire a hitman to attack US politicians.
There have been two assassination attempts against Trump, but they are not connected to Iran, according to officials.
US officials warned in July that they had Intelligence that Tehran planned to assassinate Trump in retaliation for the killing of Soleimani.
Iran’s UN Mission said, “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 recognised principles of international law”.
–IANS
al/rad
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
