Iran politics · October 2026

In October 2026, the United States ordered Iran's visiting United Nations delegation to leave New York and the country ahead of schedule. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the order after negotiations stalled. The delegation included Araghchi, according to headlines, and one headline said the delegation had "overstayed their welcome." Iran denies the account and rejected reports on the timing of the delegation's departure. Trump expressed optimism about Iran at the same time. Trump said Iran would be hit "very hard" if it is found to be linked to the Flydubai flight incident, in which a flight to Israel was diverted after a copilot tried to crash the plane; Netanyahu said the copilot received "Islamist indoctrination" and that it was too early to say whether Iran was behind the incident. Iran summoned the British ambassador after an incident at a British military base, rejecting any involvement and describing the British prime minister's accusations as baseless. Iranian President Pezeshkian said Iran will "never" shy away from dialogue with the US, and Araghchi said Iran would allow access to nuclear inspectors for sanctions relief. Iran received the US response to its latest proposal as Gulf shipping recovered, and updated Japan on the latest US diplomatic efforts.