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Two Iranian UN delegation members removed from US after staying past departure order

The US said it removed two members of Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly who stayed in New York after being told to leave. The account rests on a US official's statement, relayed through Axios and AFP.

6 outlets · 0L · 2C · 4R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 3). New coverage since the last version from Hindustan Times, The Straits Times.

Image: Just the News
Image: CNA
Image: Arab News
Image: Washington Examiner
Image: The Straits Times

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 1Two members of Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly in New York were removed from the United States on Saturday 3 October 2026, according to an Axios report citing a US official. Right · 1A US official told AFP that the two "were found still in (New York) long after the United Nations General Assembly had passed" and had "now been kicked out of the US". Right · 1The official added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio "means business".

Right · 1AFP described the State Department as saying the two had ignored an order to leave the country. Right · 1US media reported that the State Department had told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the delegation to leave on Monday, and turned to expelling the two members after learning from Iran's UN mission on Friday that they remained in the country. Right · 1According to Axios, one member left on Friday night and the other on Saturday morning.

Centre · 1Hindustan Times, citing Axios, said the State Department had directed Iran's UN mission to ensure its whole delegation left immediately after the sessions ended, that the mission was told on Friday that US authorities knew the two were still in the city, and that Washington then repeated its demand that both leave immediately. Right · 1The Straits Times, carrying AFP, gave dates for the order and the exits: the delegation was told to leave on 28 September, the two were found to remain on 2 October, one left on the night of 2 October and the other on the morning of 3 October. Right · 1The Washington Examiner, quoting a US official, reported the two were sent home on Friday night and Saturday morning despite a Monday order for the whole delegation to leave immediately after the summit.

Right · 1The Examiner, citing Axios, said Rubio directed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave after a weekend of talks in which "negotiations stalled". Right · 1The removals follow a week of contacts: US and Iranian officials met in New York on the sidelines of the General Assembly, and President Donald Trump rejected a Tehran proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while saying he expected talks to resume in the coming days. Centre · 1Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran had no more direct talks scheduled with Washington.

Right · 1Iran's delegation said on social media, after Rubio's directive, that it left New York on Monday evening, on a schedule communicated to the State Department on 17 September, and accused the State Department of "propagating baseless and worthless news". The Examiner's report does not say whether this statement responds directly to the two removals. Right · 1The Examiner added that President Pezeshkian and Araghchi had been granted heavily restricted visas, that the General Assembly meeting ran from 18 to 28 September, and that Trump confirmed rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal amid disputes over Iran's nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
CNA runs the AFP report straight; Hindustan Times, working from Axios, headlines the "Secretary Rubio means business" quote and uses "reportedly" and "allegedly" for the account.
Emphasis
The departure order, the timing of the two exits, and uncertainty in US-Iran talks.
Leaves out or plays down
No Iranian rebuttal, identities, or legal basis for removal.
For example
“The action came after the envoy allegedly refused to comply with a US state department order to leave the country, Axios reported, citing a US official.” — Hindustan Times
“The United States has "kicked out" two members of the Iranian delegation” — CNA

Right4 outlets

Framing
Just the News and the Washington Examiner lead with the US official's "means business" quote on Rubio; the Examiner adds the Iranian rebuttal and ties the episode to Trump's Iran policy and midterm politics, while Arab News and the Straits Times run AFP copy.
Emphasis
Rubio's firmness, the US official's account, and for the Examiner the political cost of the Iran conflict.
Leaves out or plays down
Just the News, Arab News and the Straits Times carry no Iranian response; none gives the two people's identities, visa status or legal basis for removal.
For example
“a US official told AFP, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “means business.”” — The Straits Times
“Voters have largely soured on Trump throughout his second term due to the unpopular conflict’s ties to stubbornly high inflation.” — Washington Examiner
“The United States has “kicked out” two members of the Iranian delegation” — Arab News