US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN General Assembly

Iran’s delegation to UNGA will be smaller this year, with travel restrictions and limits on luxury goods purchases.

US President Donald Trump meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City on September 23, 2025 [Al Drago/Reuters]

The United States is allowing an Iranian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City next week, a Department of State spokesman said, in spite of the protracted war that is raging into its seventh month.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed the delegation would cover Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and their essential staff to attend the High-Level Week in person.

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“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 State Department spokesman said.

The US official added that only a scaled-down delegation will be permitted, and that they will confront tighter travel curbs and luxury import prohibitions “per our policy”.

The 81st UNGA will unfold against the backdrop of a grinding military impasse between the two countries, with no clear path towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz or reviving Washington-Tehran talks of ending the war.

The disruption of the vital chokepoint — which handles roughly 20 percent of global seaborne energy transit — has sent global oil prices soaring .

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the conflict with Iran is nearing its end, and recently claimed his administration has held direct talks with officials in Tehran, even as fighting flares in Yemen between Houthi forces and the Saudi-led coalition over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, where Houthi forces have seized control.

Washington recently barred Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and dozens of Palestinian Authority (PA) officials from entering the US for the UNGA for the second consecutive year. The visa denial by the Trump administration last year relegated the usually present Palestinian leader to address the global body virtually. The Palestinians will still be represented at next week’s high-level meeting of the UNGA by their diplomats who are already accredited to the UN.

Without explicitly naming President Abbas, the State Department announced a broader visa ban targeting officials from the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), due to “their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace,” the statement said.

“Punitive measures and restrictions imposed on Palestinian officials do not contribute to advancing peace or combating violence,” the authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement in response. “Rather, they weaken the Palestinian partner committed to a political solution and encourage forces working to undermine the two-state solution and impose the reality of occupation, settlement and annexation by force.”

The UNGA will be meeting under the heavy strain of continued geopolitical crises, such as Russia’s war on Ukraine, escalating Middle East volatility and deepening economic disturbances that have triggered widespread inflation and affordability crises across the globe.

由于旅行限制和奢侈品购买限制，伊朗今年参加联合国大会的代表团规模将缩小。

2025年9月23日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在纽约举行的第80届联合国大会期间会见了联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯。[Al Drago/路透社]

美国国务院发言人表示，尽管伊朗与伊朗之间的战争已经持续了七个月，但美国仍允许伊朗代表团下周前往纽约参加联合国大会。

一位知情人士证实，代表团将包括伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽什基安、外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇及其重要工作人员，他们将亲自出席高级别周活动。

联合国实况调查团（共3个）称，美国可能在伊朗犯下战争罪行（名单1）。

列表 2/3：马克龙和奥恩讨论支持黎巴嫩军队、结束以色列袭击的努力

名单3之3：俄罗斯和中国否决联合国监督伊朗制裁的授权

美国国务院发言人表示：“根据我们作为东道国的义务，伊朗政权的核心代表团将能够出席联合国大会高级别周。”

美国官员补充说，只会允许规模缩小的代表团入境，而且“根据我们的政策”，他们将面临更严格的旅行限制和奢侈品进口禁令。

第 81 届联合国大会将在美中两国陷入僵局的背景下召开，目前尚无明确途径重新开放霍尔木兹海峡或重启华盛顿与德黑兰之间结束战争的谈判。

这条至关重要的咽喉要道（承载着全球约 20% 的海上能源运输）遭到破坏，导致全球油价飙升。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普多次表示，与伊朗的冲突即将结束，最近还声称他的政府已与德黑兰官员举行了直接会谈，尽管也门胡塞武装与沙特领导的联军之间围绕曼德海峡的战斗仍在继续，胡塞武装已经控制了该海峡。

华盛顿近日连续第二年禁止巴勒斯坦总统马哈茂德·阿巴斯和数十名巴勒斯坦权力机构官员入境美国参加联合国大会。去年，特朗普政府的拒签决定迫使这位通常会亲临现场的巴勒斯坦领导人只能通过视频方式在联合国大会上发言。巴勒斯坦方面仍将派出已获联合国认可的外交官出席下周举行的联合国大会高级别会议。

美国国务院虽然没有明确点名阿巴斯总统，但宣布了一项更广泛的签证禁令，目标直指巴勒斯坦权力机构和巴勒斯坦解放组织（巴解组织）的官员，理由是“他们未能进行改革，违背了对美国的承诺，并且他们持续的活动破坏了和平的前景”。

巴勒斯坦权力机构外交和侨民事务部在一份声明中回应称：“对巴勒斯坦官员实施惩罚性措施和限制无助于推进和平或打击暴力。相反，这些措施削弱了致力于政治解决的巴勒斯坦伙伴，并助长了那些企图破坏两国方案、强行推行占领、定居点和武力吞并的势力。”

联合国大会将在持续的地缘政治危机带来的沉重压力下召开，例如俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争、不断升级的中东动荡以及日益加深的经济动荡，这些危机引发了全球范围内的普遍通货膨胀和消费能力危机。