Elon Musk reportedly held a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday. This took place just one day before Donald Trump announced that the SpaceX CEO would be one of the leaders of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.

According to two Iranian officials who spoke to the New York Times, the meeting focused on strategies to ease the strained relationship between the United States and Iran. One of the officials noted that Musk had initiated the meeting and that the ambassador chose the location for their discussions.

As Trump prepares to tackle significant international crises, such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, Musk has been stepping into the diplomatic spotlight. The billionaire has been engaging with foreign dignitaries, positioning himself as a key civilian influencer as the new administration prepares to take office in January.

Earlier this month, Musk reportedly joined a phone conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the call, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for the Starlink satellites Musk’s company, SpaceX, has been supplying to Ukraine.

“He’s now engaging the Iranians,” remarked Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. “And the Iranians have not engaged Americans in direct negotiations since before Trump left the nuclear deal, so this could be a very big deal.”

Relations between Trump and Iran have long been fraught. During his presidency, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement brokered during Barack Obama’s administration and reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran’s economy.

In January 2020, Trump authorized a drone strike that killed Major General Qassim Soleimani, a high-ranking commander of Iran’s Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. More recently, intelligence briefings to Trump’s campaign indicated that Iran was plotting to assassinate him.

“Whether America can have successful negotiations with Iran under Trump really will have to do with Musk or whoever is going to lead these negotiations, and a team that is dedicated to a negotiating process, that is willing to do the hard work that actual diplomatic process and international relations entails,” Toossi added.

Further complicating the situation is Trump’s staunch alliance with Israel. This relationship could potentially escalate into a full-scale conflict between Israel and Iran as Trump assumes the presidency. Since the October 7 attack last year, Israel has been embroiled in fighting against Iranian-supported groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, posted on X on Thursday: “Differences can be resolved through cooperation and dialogue. We agreed to proceed with courage and good will. Iran has never left the negotiation table on its peaceful nuclear program.”

Although Musk’s approach to foreign policy may lean towards pragmatism, Toossi believes that this alone won’t suffice to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran.

“We’re on the brink of an all-out regional war,” he warned. “To restart this process, Trump is going to need technical experts on the nuclear issue, on the regional issue, to have working groups, to have honest interlocutors, and good-faith negotiators.”

{Matzav.com}