By Simon Lewis
Sept 17 – The Trump administration will allow top Iranian officials to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, the State Department said on Thursday, even as Washington and Tehran remain at war and continue intermittent talks aimed at ending the conflict.
A State Department spokesperson said a “core delegation from the Iranian regime” would be allowed to attend the meeting in line with the United States’ obligations as the world body’s host country.
President Donald Trump’s administration has held on-again, off-again talks with Iran’s leaders aimed at ending the war that began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
That means officials including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will be granted visas, according to a source familiar with the decision. The Trump administration on Wednesday said it would deny entry to Palestinian officials for the UN meeting, extending a ban in place since last year, over actions they took to “internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a visa as part of the US move, a Palestinian official said.
Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. In the past, the US government has barred Iran’s delegation from shops and restricted its movements to travel between the United Nations headquarters, the Iranian UN mission and UN ambassador’s residence and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport. Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
