Elon Musk stepped into the arena of world diplomacy by meeting with Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani. The private discussion was held on November 11, 2024, in New York, lasted for over an hour, and aimed to explore ways through which the state-of-affairs tension between America and Iran could be defused.
One source said Musk had requested the meeting-a reflection of how much leverage the billionaire was carrying in the Trump administration. Musk had only just been tabbed to helm the new DOGE-which, for the first time ever, it had been elevated to a Cabinet-level department-and was rapidly becoming one of the most powerful voices on Trump’s transition team. Because he was still a private citizen but privy to the most important policy decisions, the “First Buddy” sobriquet had sticking power.
This is regarded as a milestone in the relations between the U.S. and Iran: Iranian officials described the conversation as “positive” and “good news,” hinting that perhaps a change of tone between Tehran and Washington may be possible.
The meeting comes with a raft of tensions that have existed between the two countries. During Trump’s first presidency, the US had pulled itself out of the 2015 nuclear deal, imposed choking sanctions against Iran, and assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Relations grew worse with the recent revelation of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.
Musk’s secret meeting with Iravani makes his potential role in the foreign policy to be pursued by the possible second Trump administration quite ambiguous. The spokesperson for Trump has declined comment on the meeting; still, analysts say that it speaks to Trump’s unconventional style of diplomacy and a penchant for tapping into Musk’s world influence.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also indirectly addressed the meeting in his social network posts: “Differences can be resolved through cooperation and dialogue. Iran has never left the negotiation table on its peaceful nuclear programme.
Taken in conjunction with the Iranian ambassador’s response, this does sound like a hopeful statement, perhaps Musk’s involvement could provide new inroads of communication. Critics say such non-traditional involvement in high-stakes diplomacy by someone like Musk risks blurring the line between government policy and private influence.
