Iran says US denied visas to some UN delegation members

The United States has refused visas for some members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s delegation to this week’s UN General Assembly, Iranian state media reported on Monday. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the affected officials included members of the president’s communications team and described the decision as hostile. Mehr news agency also reported the visa refusals, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency.

The supplied material does not include a US confirmation that individual visas were denied. Pezeshkian is expected to address the General Assembly on Wednesday. Iranian state media described him as the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

The United States has authorised the Iranian delegation to travel for the UN meeting but will impose restrictions, the report says. The State Department said the delegation will not be allowed to purchase luxury goods or certain other items, as was also the case last year. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is part of the delegation, left Iran on Sunday evening for a stopover in Qatar.

Iran says it has used Qatar as a mediator to convey conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic oil and gas shipping route it says has been choked off since the war began. The United States is imposing a counterblockade of Iranian ports, according to the report. The supplied material gives no further detail on the visa decisions, the proposed conditions for reopening the strait or the status of diplomatic contacts.