The United States is considering new restrictions on foreign delegations attending this month’s UN General Assembly, including measures that would further limit the movements of Iranian diplomats in New York, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
One proposal would prevent Iranian officials from shopping at wholesale clubs such as Costco and Sam’s Club without State Department permission. The AP said such stores have long been favored by Iranian diplomats, who buy large quantities of goods unavailable in Iran and send them home.
Three years ago, footage of then-President Ebrahim Raisi’s delegation in New York drew wide attention on social media, showing aides loading piles of goods with US retail labels into a truck outside their hotel.
The internal memo seen by AP also outlined possible curbs on delegations from Sudan, Zimbabwe and Brazil.
The report follows the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and more than 80 officials, blocking them from the UN meeting. Palestinian diplomats accredited to the UN mission were allowed to remain.
Security review for Iran
The State Department said last week that visas for Iran’s UNGA delegation are subject to a security review. In response to a query from Iran International, a spokesman said Washington “will not waver in upholding American law and the highest standards of national security and public safety in the conduct of our visa process.”
The spokesman added that ensuring foreign visitors pose no threat to US national security “remains a paramount priority.” The Department declined to say whether Iranian officials will be issued visas this year, citing visa confidentiality rules.
The decision to admit President Masoud Pezeshkian and his delegation last year drew criticism from Iranian diaspora groups and activists, despite their movements being restricted to a few blocks around the UN headquarters.
In 2019, then-Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was granted a visa under similar limits. The US has also refused visas in past years, including to Iran’s 2014 UN ambassador nominee over his role in the 1979 embassy takeover.
Syria waiver highlights contrast
The AP memo said the Trump administration last week lifted long-standing travel restrictions on Syria’s delegation to the UN. The move followed the ouster of President Bashar Assad last year and Washington’s effort to integrate Damascus into the Middle East.
