US Senator Rubio urges Iranian UN delegation to leave after talks stall

US Senator Marco Rubio on Monday called on the Iranian delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly to leave the United States immediately, following a breakdown in negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to a US official and another source familiar with the matter who spoke to Axios on Wednesday.

The US official said Rubio demanded the Iranian delegation's departure after "their purpose for staying had been exhausted," adding that the General Assembly's proceedings had concluded and "it was time for them to go."

For its part, Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations stated that its delegation left New York according to a schedule previously agreed with the United States, dismissing the circulating reports as "worthless," following claims that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had "expelled" the Iranian delegation.