Iranian official meets Elon Musk in effort to smooth path with Donald Trump

Elon Musk. Image via AP.

 Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a U.S. official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with President-elect Donald Trump.

Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk — a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government — on Monday in New York, according to a U.S. official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague.

The official said he had been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably Iran’s nuclear program, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-U.S. governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world’s richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the U.N.

The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times.

“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement.

However, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied the country’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk in New York and expressed surprise at the extensive media coverage by American outlets on this matter.

Iran’s outreach comes as Trump has been announcing picks for key foreign policy posts — including Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser — who are expected to be tough on Iran.

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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.