US Denies Visas To Members Of Iranian President’s Delegation

The United States has refused to issue visas to members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s delegation, including his communications team, for this week’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

“In an unprecedented hostile move by the US government, (US President Donald) Trump has denied US visas to certain members of the president’s high-level delegation, including members of his communications team,” state news agency IRNA reported.

The Mehr news agency also carried the report, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency, and added that Pezeshkian would address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

The US has authorised the Iranian delegation to travel to the UN General Assembly but will, as it did last year, impose restrictions.

Iran’s delegation will not, for instance, be allowed to purchase luxury goods or other items, the State Department said on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is part of the delegation to the UN, left Iran on Sunday evening for a stopover in Qatar.

Iran says it has conveyed to the US, through Qatar as a mediator, conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping route, which it has choked off since the war began.

The United States, in turn, is imposing a counterblockade of Iranian ports.