Iran Tries to Oust Diplomat Who Met Trump Envoys: Will It Reverse Oil Price Slide?
Iranian lawmakers want Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi removed over his contact with President Donald Trump’s envoys in New York. The bid comes as Iran’s oil exports have fallen to zero.
The US, however, tells a different story about that contact. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff says the talks ran through mediators.
Why Iran’s Hardliners Want Araghchi Gone
Tehran lawmaker Amirhossein Sabeti filed the impeachment motion. He says Araghchi met Witkoff “without permission from the leader,” The National reported. That means Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Iran’s state broadcaster said the two men met at the UN on September 22. It said Witkoff asked for it, according to The New Arab.
“We engaged in lengthy talks with the Iranian delegation through the mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day,” Axios reported, citing Witkoff.
Iran’s foreign ministry also said contact ran only through Qatari go-betweens, IranWire reported. Lawmaker Mojtaba Zarei says Araghchi had the approval he needed.
This parliament has fired one of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s ministers before. In March 2025, 182 of 273 lawmakers voted out Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati, Al Jazeera reported.
As of Tuesday, the motion had not reached parliament’s presiding board, the step before any formal review.
INTERESTING: An impeachment motion against Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has been filed in the parliament’s system.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 6, 2026
The trigger was Abbas Araghchi’s contacts in New York with US officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.… pic.twitter.com/4aN1kWTa2z
Are US Talks Over?
Trump called the New York session “very productive.” By September 27, after rejecting Iran’s ceasefire offer, he sounded colder.
“They want to make a deal, but it is not the deal that I want to make,” Axios reported.
He still told Axios he expects more talks.
Iran loaded no crude for export in September, the first time since 1979, according to Kpler data. Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad quit on Sunday.
For the first time since the 1979 revolution, Iran's oil loadings hit zero in Sept 2026 due to the US naval blockade (Kpler data). This follows just 255 kbd in August vs a normal ~1.7 mbd. No laden tankers have escaped the blockade zone since its mid-July reimposition. pic.twitter.com/0Dm34weqHV
— Homayoun Falakshahi (@hfalakshahi) October 1, 2026
Iran had about 90 million barrels of crude stored on tankers in July. By early September, it had 29 million, Kpler data show. As BeInCrypto reported when Iran’s oil minister quit, that supply could run out this month.
Asked about new strikes on Iran, Trump said he is “always thinking about it.”
Oil Price Drops To Its Lowest Level in A Month
Oil kept falling on Tuesday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, dropped 2.5% to $88, its lowest level in about a month.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 2.6% to $100.46. It was Brent’s third straight daily loss.
Supply from Iran’s neighbors is coming back. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said the kingdom’s East-West Pipeline is again moving 5.8 million barrels a day. The pipeline carries crude across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Group of Seven (G7) has also agreed to release 100 million barrels from emergency oil reserves.