Iranian official media announced today that the United States has refused to grant visas to members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s delegation, including his communications team, for their travel to the UN General Assembly this week. News
According to AFP, Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the US since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February sparked the Middle East conflict.
According to Iranian news agency IRNA, “US President Donald Trump has denied US visas to certain members of the president’s high-level delegation, including members of his communications team, in an unprecedented hostile move by the US government.”
Pezeshkian will speak before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, according to the Mehr news agency, which also reported the story and quoted an Iranian presidential official.
The US has given the Iranian delegation permission to attend the UN General Assembly, but it will impose limitations much like it did last year.
For example, the State Department announced on Thursday that Iran’s delegation will not be permitted to buy luxury products or other items.
Yesterday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Iran for a stopover in Qatar as part of the delegation to the UN.
Iran claims to have sent terms for reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping route—which it has blocked off since the start of the conflict—to the United States through Qatar acting as a mediator.
A counter-blockade of Iranian ports is being imposed by the United States.
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