Iran's U.N. Ambassador met with Elon Musk in New York, report suggests

Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a U.S. official, one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with President-elect Donald Trump.

Iran however has denied the report.

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk — a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on ways to cut the federal government — on Monday in New York, according to a U.S. official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague.

The official said he had been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-U.S. governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world's richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the U.N.

The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times.

“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said in a statement.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied the country’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk in New York and expressed surprise at the extensive media coverage on the matter.

Iran's outreach comes as Trump has been