On Monday, the US State Department disclosed its denial of a waiver request from Iran’s top diplomat, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to visit Washington. The request was made to visit the Iranian consular interest section in Washington, DC. The denial was grounded in Iran’s detention of American citizens.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller clarified that the refusal came shortly after the release of five Americans from Iran in exchange for the liberation of five Iranians held in US custody and the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian funds abroad.
Amir-Abdollahian had been in New York for the United Nations General Assembly the previous week and expressed a desire to visit Washington during his stay, as stated by Miller. The United States typically permits foreign officials to visit New York, where the UN is located. However, there are restrictions on the movements of sanctioned officials or diplomats from specific countries in New York. During the Trump administration, Iranian officials were only allowed to visit select neighborhoods in New York.
Miller noted that the United States is obligated to allow Iranian officials and officials from foreign governments to travel to New York for UN-related matters. However, there is no obligation to extend this permission to travel to Washington, DC.
He emphasized, “Given Iran’s wrongful detention of US citizens, given Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism, we did not believe it was either appropriate or necessary in this instance to grant that [Amir-Abdollahian’s] request.” This decision underscores the US government’s stance on Iran’s actions and policies in recent times, particularly regarding American citizens and its alleged support for terrorism.