UN General Assembly: Iran delegation is allowed to go to New York, luxury is not allowed

dpa | Representatives of Iran will be allowed to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly summit week amid the conflict between the two countries, according to the US State Department. A “core delegation of the Iranian regime” will be able to take part in the “high-level week of the UN General Assembly,” a ministry spokesman said.

However, the delegation will be subject to travel restrictions. In addition, according to current US regulations, she is prohibited from purchasing luxury goods and other goods.

Since 2025, Iran's UN mission and its members, as well as Iranian government officials traveling to the US for UN purposes, have been allowed to purchase certain luxury goods only with US State Department approval. This includes leather goods, watches, jewelry, shoes, cosmetics, perfumes or electronics worth more than $1,000 per item. Prior authorization is also required for memberships and purchases at wholesale chains such as Costco, Sam’s Club or BJ’s.

The delegation was also smaller than last year, it was said. The Foreign Ministry did not provide any further information in the statement about how large the Iranian delegation will be or what specific travel restrictions will apply. According to the UN, as the host country of the United Nations, the USA is fundamentally obliged to allow delegations access. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for example, was reportedly refused entry permits by the US government again this year.

The UN general debate begins next Tuesday in New York, with representatives from around 140 countries expected. In addition to US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa are also expected in New York.

The USA and Israel jointly launched the war against Iran on February 28th, which responded with counterattacks in the region. The conflict has now been going on for almost seven months.