Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday strongly denied a reported meeting between Tehran's United Nations envoy and Elon Musk, the US billionaire and close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump.

US media, including The New York Times, reported this week that Musk and Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met for an hour-long conversation in New York on Monday.

"This was a fabricated story by American media, and the motives behind this can also be speculated," Araqchi said in an interview with state television, echoing an earlier denial by Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Leadership did not give permission for meeting, minister says

The Iranian minister said the "media fabrication" about a meeting was a form of testing the waters to see if the ground for such a move existed.

"We are still waiting for the new US administration to clarify its policies, and based on that, we will adjust our own policies. Right now, it is neither the time for such meetings nor is it appropriate," Araqchi said.

He added that there was no permission from the leadership for such a meeting, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

'Limited opportunity for diplomacy'

In an interview, Araqchi also warned that Iran was ready for "confrontation or cooperation" in its dispute with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, and Western countries within the agency over its nuclear program.

"There is still an opportunity for diplomacy, although this opportunity is not much, it is a limited opportunity," the minister said.

He stressed the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump withdrew from in 2018 during his first term, no longer holds the same value for Iran.

"If negotiations begin, the nuclear pact may serve as a reference, but it no longer has its previous significance. We must reach a feasible agreement," Araqchi said.

His comments come after the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, visited the Islamic Republic and met with senior officials.

US pressure on Iran

Trump imposed a policy known as "maximum pressure" on Iran during his first term, from 2017 to 2021.

This included tearing up an agreement on Iran's nuclear program that had been reached under his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015.

Trump reimposed heavy sanctions, which the current US administration under Joe Biden has maintained.

The 2015 deal provided for an easing of international sanctions in exchange for guarantees that Iran was not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, something Tehran has consistently denied.

dh/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)