FOCUS — U.S. approves entry of Iranian leaders for UN General Assembly

– President Donald Trump’s administration has approved visas for senior Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, so they can attend next week’s high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to the AP.

The U.S. State Department confirmed it has approved visas for Iran’s “core delegation” as well as the essential staff accompanying it.

The decision comes as the United States and Iran have been in an armed conflict for more than six months.

The situation is particularly complicated as there are still no clear signs of an agreement that would enable the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz or the resumption of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

The conflict has also affected maritime transport and international oil markets.

According to the U.S., Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, while Washington has imposed a broad series of sanctions on Tehran.

President Trump’s administration has also launched a new campaign to strike at financial sources it considers important to the Iranian economy.

Despite the tensions, the United States, as the host country of the UN headquarters, has limited ability to bar foreign leaders from attending the General Assembly.

In the past, however, Washington has refused or discouraged visa requests from leaders involved in active conflicts with the U.S.

The decision on the Iranians was made public just one day after the Trump administration denied visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation for the General Assembly.

The State Department said the Iranian delegation would be subject to travel restrictions in New York and would not be allowed to purchase luxury goods and other designated categories.

Last year too, when the current war with Iran had not yet begun, the U.S. had approved a limited number of visas for Iranian diplomats but imposed strict limits on their movement in New York.

At the time, the restrictions also included a ban on shopping at certain wholesale membership stores.

The decision to allow Iranian leaders to attend the UN meeting while the U.S. and Iran remain at war creates a significant opportunity for diplomatic contacts, although there are currently no signs that an agreement on the conflict or the nuclear program is near. /AP/