NEW YORK / WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s United Nations General Assembly delegation to leave the United States immediately after ceasefire talks stalled Monday, a highly unusual diplomatic rebuke confirmed to Axios by a U.S. official and a second source.
Among those told to go was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The U.S. mission to the UN conveyed Rubio’s demand Monday evening; hours later the Iranian party left for the airport and boarded a New York-to-Doha flight at 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, Axios reported. A U.S. official said Rubio “kicked out the Iranian delegation who had overstayed their welcome” after UNGA ended. A second source said Araghchi had been scheduled to travel that night anyway, but confirmed Washington demanded the departure.
White House aides briefly thought Monday morning that progress was possible later in the day. By late afternoon the stalemate was clear. Qatari mediators had been trying to bridge gaps on Hormuz access, sanctions, frozen assets and a broader ceasefire after Iran floated a proposal during UN week that President Trump publicly rejected.
The expulsion underscored deep distrust even as Qatar continues shuttle diplomacy from Doha. Trump on Wednesday framed the endgame as a binary choice to “blow them up or make a deal,” tying the diplomatic snub to a harder public line from the Oval Office.
For Iran, the optics of being ordered out of New York harden the narrative of U.S. maximalism. For Washington, the move signals that stalled talks will not be rewarded with an extended UNGA presence. Regional mediators say compromise drafts still circulate, but neither capital has shown willingness to budge on core military and economic demands.
Watch next whether Araghchi’s Doha stop produces a revised Iranian package — or whether Rubio’s order marks the close of the UN-week diplomatic window until a battlefield or energy shock forces both sides back to the table.
UN week had been billed as a rare face-to-face window after months of remote mediation. That window closed with a forced departure order rather than a communiqué. Diplomats note that even if Araghchi planned to leave Monday night, a public U.S. expulsion changes the political temperature in Tehran and among Global South audiences watching the war’s diplomacy.
Qatar’s continued role matters because Doha has channels to both Washington and Tehran and hosts logistics tied to regional air travel and mediation. Any new Iranian counterproposal is likely to surface there before it reaches New York again. Rubio’s order, Trump’s escalation rhetoric, and Hegseth’s war-damage claims together form a coordinated hard line: talks are welcome only on terms set after what Washington portrays as decisive military gains.