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US Clears Iran Delegation for UN Assembly as War Enters Seventh Month

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Washington has granted visas to President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for next week's UN General Assembly in New York.

Washington has issued visas to a group of senior Iranian officials, clearing them to travel to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, even as the conflict between the two countries stretches past the six-month mark and into a seventh month.

The permitted group is led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to information obtained by the BBC. A US State Department spokesman confirmed the visa approvals on Thursday, adding that the visitors will operate under tight limits during their stay and will be blocked from buying a defined list of American goods.

"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 spokesman said. The official noted that the officials would be subject to movement restrictions and barred from purchasing luxury and other items, and pointed out that this year's group is smaller than the one sent in the previous session.

The curbs echo measures imposed a year earlier. During the last assembly, Iranian diplomats were kept out of membership warehouse retailers such as Costco. They also had to obtain clearance from US authorities before buying high-end products, a category that covered jewellery, alcohol and vehicles.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott framed the restrictions as a way to stop the visiting officials from indulging in what he called "shopping sprees" while ordinary Iranians contend with shortages of water and electricity, "brutal repression" and rapidly rising prices. Writing on X, he said Washington would not permit "the Iranian regime's elites" to turn the assembly into "a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people's suffering, all while the regime funnels Iran's wealth to support its terrorist proxies." He urged New York retailers to "be on guard" against selling to the delegation, but did not say whether officials had learned of any actual purchasing plans.

The decision lands with no resolution to the fighting in sight. The war opened on 28 February, when the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran. Since then, the conflict has pushed global energy prices higher and spilled across into surrounding countries. Iran has struck repeatedly at American military bases and at allied governments in the Gulf, as well as launching attacks on Israel.

The visa approvals come against a backdrop of growing demands, both from the public and within the political system, for the White House to bring the confrontation to a close.

A packed speaking schedule

The 81st session of the General Assembly is already in progress, with the General Debate - the annual gathering's central event - set to open on Tuesday. That opening day is due to feature addresses from US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Iran's turn at the podium is expected the following day. Wednesday's line-up is anticipated to include the leaders of Ukraine, Syria and Iran, placing Tehran's representatives on the world stage within days of their arrival.

Last year, Pezeshkian was photographed at the assembly shaking hands with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, an image that underscored the diplomatic access the annual meeting affords even to governments at odds with the host nation.

Palestinian officials turned away

The approvals for Tehran contrast sharply with a separate visa decision. The BBC has established that the United States refused entry to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the wider Palestinian delegation seeking to take part in the assembly.

It marked the second consecutive year that the group was denied visas. The White House, which rejects the Palestinian delegation's standing, again declined to grant them the documents needed to attend.

The two contrasting outcomes highlight how the United States, as the country that hosts the United Nations, exercises control over which foreign officials can reach the New York gathering - clearing a delegation from a government it is actively fighting while shutting out another it does not recognise.

Iran UN delegation, Masoud Pezeshkian, Abbas Araghchi, UN General Assembly, US Iran war, State Department visas, UNGA 81st session, travel restrictions

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