Key facts
- The US State Department approved visas for a small number of Iranian officials to attend the UN General Assembly.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are expected to be part of the delegation.
- The delegation will be subject to travel restrictions in Manhattan.
- US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that the US will ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods.
- The number of visiting officials will be smaller than last year.
The US State Department has approved visas for a limited number of Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The approvals come with travel restrictions, limiting the delegation's movements within Manhattan, and the number of officials attending will be smaller than in the previous year.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott indicated that while the delegation is permitted to attend, they will be prohibited from purchasing luxury goods or wholesale club memberships. Pigott stated that the US would not allow Iranian regime elites to "exploit UNGA for a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people's suffering." The US has also imposed sanctions on BitBank, a digital assets venture controlled by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, which the State Department claims has helped the Central Bank of Iran access the international financial system.
Historically, the US has not exercised significant visa restrictions as the host nation for the UN headquarters. However, the Trump administration has implemented stricter measures in recent years, including denying visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned these restrictions, calling them an "unjustified measure that contradicts efforts to restore confidence... and achieve peace and stability in the region."