US Allows Iranian Leaders to Attend UNGA, But with Restrictions Attached - Tempo.co English

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States has approved visas for senior Iranian officials to attend a series of high-level meetings at the UN General Assembly next week. This decision came as tensions remained high between the two countries, following months of war that shows little signs of stopping.

According to the BBC, Iran's core delegation will include President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and other key staff. The delegation cleared by the US will be smaller than last year.

"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 spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed.

The delegation will face travel restrictions and will be banned from purchasing "luxury and other goods" during their time on US soil.

"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," said US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott on X.

He warned retailers across New York to remain "on guard" and avoid complicity in "these violations," referring to Iranian top officials' "shopping sprees" while the ordinary Iranians suffer from the regime's repression.

The Trump administration has historically restricted travel for Iranian delegations. In 2025, the US blocked the delegation's access to wholesale and luxury stores, confining their movements to “areas strictly necessary to transit to and from the UN headquarters district to conduct their official UN business,” as quoted from NBC News.

The decision to grant visas for Iranian officials was taken despite regular calls from some US lawmakers to block their entry, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported. The calls were in direct conflict with the 1947 UN-US Headquarters Agreement, which requires unimpeded access to representatives of all member states of the organization.

The US also decided to block the entry of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the UN General Assembly for the second year. This is an extension of the sanctions that deny the necessary visas that allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to attend the session. 

The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened in New York City on September 8. The General Debate will be held on September 22-26 and September 28.

Citing the BBC, the session on Tuesday will see speeches by US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Iran will speak on Wednesday, alongside Ukrainian and Syrian leaders.