Why does Musk want to join Trump?
Elon Musk recently met with Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.
The meeting took place at the ambassador’s residence in New York. There’s no indication that President-elect Donald Trump’s national security transition team was aware of the meeting. Nor is it clear that his newly assembled team of advisers, including Iran hawks Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz, Trump’s picks for secretary of state and national security adviser, respectively, knew of the meeting. It is also not clear if Trump himself was aware of the meeting.
The New York Times, which was first to report on the meeting, said two Iranian officials described it as a discussion on how to defuse tensions between the two countries.
The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Tehran, which means the Biden administration’s contact with Iran is indirect and typically conducted via third parties. American companies are largely forbidden from doing business in Iran due to extensive sanctions. The U.S. considers Iran to be the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.
Musk’s meeting comes as the Iranians seek a channel into Trump’s orbit. They know Trump is keen on dealmaking and that he has praised Iran’s negotiating prowess.
Many of the recent appointees to Trump’s national security team are Iran hawks, so seeking a meeting with Musk was a way for Tehran to bypass them.
Musk, the richest man in the world, also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently. Trump put him on the phone with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the Ukrainian leader called to congratulate the president-elect on his victory last week, according to the Associated Press. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Musk has been in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly since late 2022.
Margaret Brennan is the moderator of CBS News’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Based in Washington, D.C., Brennan is also the Network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent and a contributing correspondent to 60 Minutes.