US approves visas for Iranian officials to attend United Nations General Assembly

Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 09/18/2026 - 17:15 This comes as the US remains in open violent conflict with Iran, and follows visa denials to Palestinian officials for the same event

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 1 September 2026 (Iranian Presidency handout via AFP) Off

The US State Department indicated on Thursday that it has approved visas for a small number of Iranian officials to attend the United Nations annual meeting known as the General Assembly (UNGA), which begins next week.

The New York Times first reported the approvals, citing an emailed statement.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott had only shared a cryptic post on X suggesting some Iranian diplomats may be coming to New York City.

"While ordinary Iranians endure brutal repression, water and electricity shortages, and soaring inflation, the regime's officials want to go on shopping sprees in New York. Not on our watch," he said.

"We will not let the Iranian regime’s elites exploit UNGA for 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. The US will continue to ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods here," he added.

"New York-area retailers: be on guard, don’t become complicit in these violations."

The visas issued will limit the scope of the delegation's movements in Manhattan, and the number of visiting officials will be smaller than last year, the New York Times said.

The delegation is expected to include Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi.

Aragchi has been the chief negotiator with the Americans, alongside Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as the US war on Iran enters its seventh month.

Turkey to halt Iranian Mahan Air flights over US sanctions risk Read More »

The Trump administration has insisted there are some skirmishes from time to time that no longer constitute a "war", but dozens of Iranian civilians were killed in American attacks just last month.

Iran has continued to retaliate with increased and more targeted attacks on US military and energy assets in the region, in addition to maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the US launched "Operation Economic Outcast" to "asphyxiate" the Iranians, the Treasury secretary announced last month.

New sanctions are now rolled out several times a week, and on Thursday, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated BitBank, a priority digital assets venture controlled by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani.

In an accompanying statement to the sanctions announcement, Pigott said BitBank has helped the Central Bank of Iran gain access to the US-dominated international financial system.

Visa bans

As the host to the UN headquarters, the US has not historically exercised outsized visa restrictions, owing to the diplomatic nature of the forum and its agreements with the international body.

That changed when the Trump administration took power in January 2025.

For the second year in a row, Washington has chosen to deny a visa to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to attend UNGA.

US bans Palestinian president from speaking at the UN Read More »

In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department said it would bar members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as well as all officials with the PA.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the decision as an "unjustified measure that contradicts efforts to restore confidence, develop Palestinian-American relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability in the region".

The State Department said it was extending the restrictions on PA officials as "a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace".

This is despite there being no peace negotiations in any form, and certainly not any mediated by Washington.

The Trump administration has also all but abandoned any recognition of a "two-state solution".

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main opponent in next month's election, Gadi Eisenkot, have made it clear they do not believe a Palestinian state should exist.

Last year, the same visa decision prompted criticism of Washington’s role as host of UN headquarters and sparked calls to move a major UN meeting on Palestine to Geneva.

The UN General Assembly later voted 145-5 to allow Abbas to address the gathering remotely.

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