Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew into New York for the UN General Assembly, publicly shared what he called a "seven-day plan" on September 25, and then his delegation apparently forgot the part where you leave when you refuse to make a deal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed them the door.
The State Department had communicated a departure schedule to Iran as early as September 17. Iran acknowledged it. Then the diplomats stayed. Rubio treated the overstay the way you'd treat a houseguest still on your couch Monday morning — he told them to get out. Immediately. That night. Iran's flight to Doha departed at 1:20 a.m.
While the delegation was in New York asking for a deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a 25-page letter to the American public encouraging voters to vote against Trump in the November elections and declaring the U.S. economy "on the precipice of collapse." Iran's diplomats were in the building. The IRGC was running influence operations from Tehran. Rubio had seen enough.
The Trump administration responded by imposing new sanctions targeting Iran's automotive and rail sectors.
The math wasn't in Iran's favor regardless. On September 29, the Iranian rial hit a record low of 2.5 million per U.S. dollar. Inflation has hit record highs across the country. Their economy is in free fall. Their armed forces have taken devastating losses. The Strait of Hormuz — Iran's one remaining piece of leverage — has become a trap of their own making.
President Trump put it plainly on September 27: "They want to make a deal where they open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly." He added: "They don't have any money now, because they wanted to close the Strait." Then: "I said, that's fine. We're going to close it on you, but everybody else is able to use it. They want to make a deal, and I think that's fine. I like making a deal too, but that deal would not be acceptable."
Iran's UN Mission responded: "Having achieved nothing, the State Department has resorted to promoting baseless reports." When your rebuttal is that the other side achieved nothing — while your currency is in freefall and your diplomats just got expelled from Manhattan — the statement makes a different argument than intended.
Iranian Foreign Ministry official Saeed Khatibzadeh went on Russian television to say Iran seeks "to resolve issues diplomatically." From the country whose diplomats just got kicked out of the diplomatic capital of the world for ignoring diplomatic protocols.
Widespread protests swept Iran in December 2025 and January 2026. Their supreme leader is dead. Their currency is worthless. Their maritime blockade strategy backfired. A June agreement between the U.S. and Iran was supposed to set the framework for broader talks — instead, Iran closed the Strait, lost that bet, and sent diplomats to New York who couldn't manage to leave on schedule. On September 30, a flight connected to the delegation was diverted on the way out.
The rial is at 2.5 million to the dollar. The diplomats are packing. The Strait is open for everyone except Iran.