US approves visas for Pezeshkian, Araghchi to attend UN General Assembly

The United States has approved visas for a scaled-down Iranian delegation to attend the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the US Department of State said.

The core delegation will also include essential staff. The State Department said the decision was consistent with US obligations as host country, says Al Jazeera.

"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend United Nations General Assembly High Level Week," a State Department spokesman said.

The approval comes as the United States and Iran remain engaged in a war that has entered its seventh month. The Iranian delegation will face tighter travel restrictions and prohibitions on luxury imports under US policy.

The UN General Assembly is taking place amid a military deadlock between Washington and Tehran, with no clear path towards reviving diplomatic talks or reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global energy shipments, has pushed oil prices to $105 a barrel and added to concerns about global inflation.

US President Donald Trump has said the conflict is nearing an end and reported holding direct talks with Iranian officials, although fighting continues to flare in the region. Houthi forces have also seized Mayun Island in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

US bars Palestinian officials

While approving visas for the Iranian delegation, the United States has barred Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and dozens of Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization officials from attending the UN General Assembly in person for a second consecutive year.

The US State Department attributed the decision to the officials' failure to reform and activities it said undermine prospects for peace.

"[...their] failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace," the State Department said in explaining the visa ban.

Palestinians will instead be represented by diplomats already accredited to the United Nations.

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the decision.

"Punitive measures and restrictions imposed on Palestinian officials do not contribute to advancing peace or combating violence. 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 UN General Assembly is taking place against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East and widespread economic inflation.