The United States says it will allow senior Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, to attend next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, despite the ongoing war between Washington and Tehran.
The State Department said on Thursday that a “core delegation” from Iran would be permitted to attend the high-level meeting in line with the United States’ obligations as host country of the United Nations.
A source familiar with the decision said Pezeshkian and Araqchi would be granted visas.
The decision comes as Washington and Tehran continue intermittent talks aimed at ending the conflict, which began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
The State Department said the Iranian delegation would be subject to travel restrictions and prohibited from purchasing luxury and other restricted goods. It added that the delegation would be smaller than last year’s.
In previous years, Washington restricted the movement of Iranian officials in New York, limiting their travel largely to the United Nations headquarters, Iran’s UN mission, the residence of its UN ambassador and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Under the 1947 UN headquarters agreement, the United States is generally required to facilitate access to the United Nations for foreign diplomats. Washington, however, maintains that it can deny visas on grounds including security, terrorism and foreign policy.
The decision to allow the Iranian delegation comes a day after the United States said Palestinian officials would be denied entry for the General Assembly.
Washington extended a visa ban on Palestinian Authority officials and Palestine Liberation Organisation members, citing what it described as efforts to “internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals.
A Palestinian official said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among those denied a visa.
