TEHRAN — Iran has rejected a report by the US news website Axios claiming that two members of its delegation to the United Nations General Assembly left New York after failing to comply with a US State Department request to leave the country, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing the alleged “expulsion” as a sign of “desperation and defeat.”

Axios reported that two Iranian diplomats were “kicked out” of the US on Saturday, several days after the State Department had ordered the Iranian mission to the UN to have its entire delegation leave the country. According to the report, the two diplomats had not complied with the US request issued on Monday.

Araghchi rejected the account in a post on X on Sunday, saying that Iranian diplomats who had attended the UN General Assembly had left the US according to schedule.

“All Iranian diplomats who attended UNGA, except one who departed earlier, left as scheduled,” Araghchi said.

He added that taking pride in what he described as a fake diplomatic “expulsion” was inappropriate for the head of any diplomatic corps.

“It oozes of desperation and defeat, and is inconsistent with UN host nation obligations,” he said.

Axios had earlier reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the country after diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran reached a stalemate. The report said the move was an unUS ual diplomatic rebuke, although the Iranian delegation was likely to leave soon in any case becaUS e the General Assembly had concluded.

Baghaei: ‘A pure lie’

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also rejected the Axios report during his weekly press conference on Sunday, describing it as an attempt to manufacture an achievement through false claims.

“In my view, they are trying to manufacture an achievement through lies,” Baghaei said. “What they claimed is an absolute falsehood.”

He said the Iranian delegation’s travel plans, including both its arrival in and departure from the United States, had been communicated in advance.

“It was clear from the outset on what date the honorable foreign minister’s delegation would leave New York,” Baghaei said.

Addressing Axios’ reference to two other Iranian diplomats, he said one of them had originally been scheduled to remain in New York for several more days to carry out his duties.

“BecaUS e of the pressure they exerted, yes, that diplomat left New York,” Baghaei said. “But in all other respects, we left New York according to the plans that had been made in advance.”

US violating host-nation obligations

Baghaei said that, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the diplomats’ departure, the US account itself amounted to an admission that Washington had failed to meet its obligations as the host country of the United Nations.

“This is itself an admission of a violation of the obligations by the host country,” he said.

“There is absolutely nothing to be proud of in the US boasting about violating its commitments as the host country,” the spokesman added, arguing that such conduct merely demonstrated that the US was not a worthy host for the United Nations.

Araghchi made a similar argument in his X post, saying that the alleged expulsion was inconsistent with the obligations of the country hosting the UN.

US failed to isolate Tehran

Baghaei further argued that the controversy over the diplomats came after Washington failed to prevent the Iranian delegation from attending the UN General Assembly and failed to achieve what Tehran described as an attempt to portray Iran as internationally isolated.

“It seems that after the US failed to prevent the participation of the Iranian delegation in the United Nations and could not implement its plan to portray Iran as isolated, it has resorted to such very low-level news-making,” he said.

“In my view, it is not even worth giving much attention to.”

The Iranian delegation took part in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the assembly and Foreign Minister Araghchi held a series of diplomatic meetings, including contacts related to efforts to end the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States. Axios had reported that Araghchi also took part in indirect negotiations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

The dispute over the diplomats comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, as efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement to the conflict have faced major obstacles. Axios reported that the US decision to order the Iranian delegation to leave came after negotiations reached a stalemate, while regional mediators have continued efforts to bridge differences between the two sides.