U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to leave the United States after negotiations between Washington and Tehran stalled, according to a U.S. official and a source familiar with the matter.

The delegation left New York several hours after receiving the order and traveled to Doha, Qatar, according to Axios, which first reported the move.

The U.S. official said the delegation had remained in New York after the conclusion of the U.N. General Assembly’s annual high-level meetings and that Rubio decided it was time for the Iranian officials to leave.

“Secretary Rubio kicked out the Iranian delegation who had overstayed their welcome. The UN General Assembly was over, so it was time for them to go,” the official told Axios.

Talks reach stalemate

The White House initially believed Monday morning that there was a possibility of progress in the talks later that day. By late afternoon, however, it had become clear that the negotiations had reached an impasse, according to the U.S. official.

Later Monday evening, acting on Rubio’s instructions, the U.S. mission to the United Nations informed its Iranian counterpart that Araghchi’s delegation was required to leave New York immediately, the official said.

Araghchi and the other Iranian officials headed to the airport several hours later. The delegation boarded a flight from New York to Doha at about 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.

A second source with knowledge of the matter confirmed that Washington had ordered the Iranian delegation to leave the country, but said Araghchi had already been scheduled to return to Tehran on Monday night.

Iranian officials maintained that they had intended to depart soon regardless of the U.S. order.