fileBillionaire Elon Musk, who is an adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two Iranian officials. The Iranian officials reportedly said the meeting between Musk and Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani in New York, lasting an hour, was held to diffuse tensions ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House in January. Trump announced Tuesday that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration. One of the Iranian officials said that it was Musk who had requested the meeting and that the ambassador picked the site, according to the NYT. Analysts have raised concerns regarding the potential escalation of violence in the Middle East under Trump, risking a regional war centering Iran and Israel.
