Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations earlier this week, the New York Times reported, citing two Iranian officials.
The meeting between billionaire Elon Musk and Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani was held at a secret location in New York and lasted more than an hour. According to sources, the discussion between Elon Musk and the Iranian diplomat focused on how to ease tensions between the two countries.
A US official told CNN that Biden administration officials at the United Nations were not informed about the meeting with billionaire Elon Musk and have yet to receive independent confirmation that the meeting took place.
News of billionaire Elon Musk's conversation with Iranian officials also raises questions about the Tesla boss's influence on the incoming administration, especially on US foreign policy.
Last week, the day after the 2024 US presidential election, billionaire Elon Musk participated in President-elect Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, two sources revealed.
A source said that during the call with Mr. Trump, President Zelensky thanked billionaire Musk for helping provide Starlink communications to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
On November 12, President-elect Trump announced that billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the newly established “Government Efficiency Agency” in his administration.
Mr Trump said the new agency would “provide advice and guidance from outside the government”. It is unclear how the agency, co-led by Elon Musk, would operate and whether the Republican-controlled Congress would be willing to pass such a major overhaul of government spending and operations.
