US Grants Permission for Iranian Delegation to Attend UN General Assembly

The United States will permit an Iranian delegation to travel to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, despite the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the permission will also cover Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week,” the State Department spokesperson said.

However, the official said Iran’s delegation will be smaller than last year’s. Members will also be subject to travel restrictions and barred from purchasing luxury goods and certain other products while in the United States.

The decision comes as the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel continues into its seventh month. US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began in late February triggered a wider regional escalation.

Iran responded by imposing a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important routes for energy shipments, contributing to a sharp rise in global oil prices.

Fighting between Washington and Tehran has intensified again in recent weeks, while commercial shipping continues to face restrictions in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have significant control.

The decision to allow the Iranian delegation to attend the UN gathering comes shortly after Washington denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an entry visa for this year’s General Assembly, according to a source familiar with the matter.

It marks the second consecutive year that the United States has denied Abbas permission to attend the UN meeting in person. Last year, the Trump administration’s decision forced the Palestinian leader, who has regularly addressed the General Assembly, to participate by video.

Without specifically naming Abbas, the State Department said it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials from the Palestinian Authority.

The department cited what it described as their failure to undertake reforms promised to the United States, as well as activities it said were undermining prospects for peace.