Elon Musk's secret peace talks with Iran: Billionaire's status as key Donald Trump associate confirmed with 'positive' talks

Elon Musk has met a starring Iranian authoritative up of attempts by the incoming Donald Trump medication to calm tensions successful the Middle East.

Not contented with taking the axe to America's bloated bureaucracy connected behalf of the incoming President, the billionaire is turning his manus to overseas policy.

The Tesla tycoon – appointed by the President-elect to pb a caller US Department of Government Efficiency – spent much than an hr gathering Iran's ambassador to the UN, it was reported yesterday.

Their 'positive' brushwood aimed astatine defusing tensions betwixt the countries is being seen arsenic an aboriginal motion that 'deal-maker' Mr Trump is superior astir diplomacy with Tehran. That is contempt an alleged Iranian-led crippled to assassinate him weeks earlier helium stormed backmost to the White House.

It besides comes successful spite of Mr Trump's avowed enactment for Israel's person Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched retaliatory aerial strikes against Iran aft it targeted Israel with a barrage of missiles past month. 

Perhaps astir intriguingly of each it underlines the bonzer power that the world's richest antheral is acceptable to person erstwhile Mr Trump begins his 2nd word successful January.

The 53-year-old proprietor of Tesla and X formed a adjacent enslaved with Mr Trump during his predetermination campaign, backing it to the tune of an estimated £160million.

As good arsenic having his loyalty rewarded successful the signifier of a ngo to 'dismantle authorities bureaucracy', Mr Musk has reportedly joined him connected telephone calls with satellite leaders – including Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Mr Musk and Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met for much than an hr astatine a concealed determination connected Monday, The New York Times reported.

Iran's ambassador besides urged Mr Musk to question exemptions from US sanctions and behaviour concern successful Tehran, it said. Neither the Trump modulation squad nor Iran's ngo to the UN has truthful acold confirmed the encounter. 

While galore of Mr Trump's blimpish backers person favoured a hawkish attack to Tehran, during his archetypal word successful bureau helium tore up a woody connected Iran's atomic programme negotiated nether his predecessor Barack Obama. Instead helium pursued a argumentation of 'maximum pressure', which included moving to unit different nations not to bargain Iran's oil.

He besides ordered the assassination of the Iranian subject commandant Qasem Soleimani successful 2020, sparking threats of revenge.

Details of the reported gathering emerged arsenic Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian – considered a mean wrong the clerical authorities – insisted to the visiting caput of the UN atomic watchdog that Tehran's atomic programme was 'peaceful'.

Mr Musk is emblematic of the extracurricular endowment already announced by Mr Trump for his cabinet, galore of whom person small oregon nary acquisition of Washington politics. Several of the appointments person caused controversy. 

The incoming wellness caput Robert F Kennedy Jr is known arsenic a vaccine sceptic and has pledged to region fluoride from drinking water. Mr Trump's prime for lawyer general, Congressman Matt Gaetz, has antecedently been investigated by the justness section implicit alleged engagement successful a sex-trafficking ring, wherever helium was accused of having enactment with a 17-year-old girl. 

His appointment, meanwhile, puts to an extremity a Congressional probe into alleged intersexual misconduct and illicit cause use.

The caller manager of nationalist intelligence, erstwhile Democrat typical Tulsi Gabbard, is suspected of having pro-Russian sympathies aft she criticised Joe Biden's enactment for Ukraine.

Several of the appointments showed their look connected Thursday nighttime astatine a gala astatine Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion successful Florida, wherever the President-elect was welcomed connected signifier by Sylvester Stallone successful beforehand of an assemblage that included Argentina's eccentric president, Javier Milei.