The US has denied a visa to Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif that would have allowed him to attend a UN Security Council meeting in New York tomorrow, a US official said on Monday.
The comments by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, came as tensions escalate between the two countries after the US killed Iran’s most prominent military commander, major general Qasem Soleimani, in Baghdad on Friday last week.
Under the 1947 UN “headquarters agreement,” the US is generally required to allow access to the UN for foreign diplomats, but Washington says it can deny visas for “security, terrorism and foreign policy” reasons.
The US Department of State declined immediate comment.
“We have seen the media reports, but we have not received any official communication from either the US or the UN regarding Foreign Minister Zarif’s visa,” Iran’s mission to the UN said.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric declined to comment.
Zarif wanted to attend a meeting of the council on the topic of upholding the UN Charter. The meeting and Zarif’s travel had been planned before the latest flare-up in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The council meeting would have given Zarif a global spotlight to publicly criticize the US for killing Soleimani.
Iranian Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht Ravanchi has described the killing of Soleimani as “an obvious example of state terrorism and, as a criminal act, constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including, in particular ... the Charter of the United Nations.”
Zarif last traveled to New York in September for the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN — after the US sanctioned him for implementing “the reckless agenda of Iran’s supreme leader.”
The sanctions block any property or interests Zarif has in the US, but he said he had none.
Zarif also attended UN meetings in April and July. During his July visit, Washington imposed tight travel restrictions on Zarif and diplomats at Iran’s mission to the UN, confining them to a small section of New York City.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier on Monday.
US Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement the pair discussed events in the Middle East and that Pompeo “expressed his appreciation” for Guterres’ diplomatic efforts.
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