Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran's visiting United Nations delegation to leave the United States after negotiations stalled Monday, Axios reported, escalating diplomatic tensions as Washington and Tehran struggled to agree on terms for a ceasefire.
The demand included Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whose delegation departed New York early Tuesday. A second source confirmed the order to Axios but said Araghchi had already planned to leave Monday night, leaving unclear how much the U.S. intervention altered his travel.
The diplomatic confrontation came as Qatari mediators sought concessions from both governments. President Donald Trump renewed his threat of military action Wednesday, even as intermediaries continued discussing a compromise proposal.
"Maybe I blow 'em up. 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," Trump told reporters.
According to Axios, the White House began Monday believing progress might be possible. By late afternoon, officials concluded that the negotiations remained deadlocked, and that evening the U.S. mission to the UN conveyed Rubio's demand to Iran's mission.
Araghchi and his delegation left for the airport several hours later and boarded a flight to Doha at 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, Axios reported. The order concerned the visiting delegation attending the General Assembly, rather than an announced closure of Iran's permanent UN mission.
"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 told Axios.
Iranian media reported Wednesday that Araghchi had presented President Masoud Pezeshkian with a U.S. counterproposal for a seven-day ceasefire. Tehran had not announced its response, while regional sources told Axios that Qatar was continuing discussions with both sides.
Trump separately disputed an Axios report that he had offered sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions. "I offered them NOTHING!" he wrote on social media, demanding that the outlet withdraw its account.
Security risks in the Strait of Hormuz remained acute. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that three tankers were hit around the time of the Iranian reports about the ceasefire proposal.
Nevertheless, oil shipments through the strait have recovered substantially. The Washington Post reported that ship-tracking firm Kpler estimated nearly 12.5 million barrels a day passed through during the week ending Sept. 27, approximately 1 million below its prewar baseline. Windward estimated flows closer to 10 million barrels a day.
