<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian delegation attending the U.N. General Assembly to leave the United States after peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing war failed, according to a report from Axios.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were in New York last week for the annual U.N. meeting and had met with U.S. officials to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict. However, negotiations reportedly halted, prompting Rubio to issue the order for the delegation to depart.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Secretary Rubio kicked out the Iranian delegation who had overstayed their welcome. The UN General Assembly was over, so it was time for them to go,” a U.S. official stated.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The directive followed several days of diplomatic efforts surrounding the General Assembly that did not yield a breakthrough in negotiations aimed at ending the war and restoring normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump later confirmed that he rejected a peace proposal from Iranian negotiators. While he did not detail the proposal, Pezeshkian informed CBS News that the ceasefire framework proposed to the U.S. had similar objectives to a previous memorandum of understanding from the summer, which had reportedly collapsed due to differing interpretations regarding the ceasefire framework in the Strait of Hormuz.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump dismissed a proposal from Tehran that involved the U.S. halting its blockade on Iranian ports in exchange for Iran reopening the strait and renewing discussions on its nuclear program.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In light of the reported peace talks, Axios published an article suggesting that Trump was open to easing economic sanctions in return for Iranian concessions regarding its nuclear development. This report drew criticism from Trump, who labeled it as “fake.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Axios just released a story that ‘Trump’ offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING! Axios’ story, like most others, is a HOAX, used only for purposes of satisfying their Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump stated, demanding the outlet retract the story.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump has claimed that Iran is seeking a deal to end the conflict but indicated that military action remains a possibility. “Maybe I blow ’em up,” the president said. “We have to make that decision. We will blow ’em up or make a deal. But the time is coming. It’s gonna end very soon one way or the other.”</p>