US imposes unprecedented restrictions on Iranian UN delegation

The United States has imposed unprecedented travel and commercial restrictions on the Iranian delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, while President Donald Trump has expressed openness to meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the high-level diplomatic gathering. The U.S. State Department has denied visas to certain members of the Iranian president's high-level delegation, including members of his communications team, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. The approved delegation, which includes Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and essential core officials, faces strict geographic travel limitations confining them to areas in and around the UN headquarters in Manhattan. Beyond movement restrictions, the State Department has imposed prohibitions on the purchase of luxury goods and wholesale club memberships. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the measures prevent Iranian elites from exploiting the General Assembly for luxury shopping while ordinary Iranians endure economic hardship.