The Trump administration has approved visas for senior Iranian officials to travel to New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, even as the United States and Iran remain locked in an ongoing conflict.
According to U.S. officials cited by the Associated Press, Iran’s core delegation will include President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The State Department said the decision was consistent with U.S. obligations as the host country of the United Nations.
However, the Iranian delegation will face strict travel restrictions while in the United States and will also be prohibited from purchasing certain luxury goods.
The delegation will be smaller than the one Iran sent to last year’s U.N. meetings.
The decision comes at a particularly sensitive moment.
The U.S.–Iran conflict has continued for more than six months, while disagreements remain over Iran’s nuclear program and the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump has also said he hopes the conflict may be moving toward an end and is expected to discuss Iran with Gulf leaders during the U.N. gathering.
The arrival of Iran’s president and foreign minister in New York could therefore put renewed attention on whether diplomacy can gain momentum during the high-level U.N. meetings.
For now, however, no new U.S.–Iran agreement has been announced.