US to Admit Iranian Leaders for UN General Assembly Despite Ongoing Conflict
The Trump administration will allow Iran's president and foreign minister to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, even as the two countries remain at war.
The United States will permit senior Iranian officials to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week, the State Department said on Thursday, even as Washington and Tehran remain engaged in a conflict with only intermittent diplomatic contact.
A State Department spokesperson said a "core delegation from the Iranian regime" would be granted entry in accordance with America's obligations as the host country of the world body. According to a source familiar with the decision, the group includes Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, both of whom will receive visas.
The delegation will operate under travel restrictions and will be barred from purchasing luxury and other goods, the spokesperson added, noting that the group is smaller than the one that attended last year. In previous years, the US has confined Iranian diplomats to movement between the UN headquarters, the Iranian mission, the ambassador's residence and John F. Kennedy International Airport, while also blocking access to shops.
The decision comes amid on-again, off-again talks between the Trump administration and Iranian leaders aimed at ending a war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and on Gulf states hosting American bases.
Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the 1947 UN headquarters agreement, the United States is generally required to allow foreign diplomats access to the United Nations. Washington, however, maintains that it can deny visas on grounds of security, terrorism and foreign policy.
On Wednesday, the administration said it would deny entry to Palestinian officials for the UN meeting, extending a ban in place since last year. The US cited actions taken to "internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals. A Palestinian official said President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a visa as part of that move.