US to allow Iranian leaders to attend UN General Assembly

FILE PHOTO: The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/ File Photo

Sept 17 - The Trump administration will allow top Iranian officials to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, the State Department said on Thursday, even as Washington and Tehran remain at war and continue intermittent talks aimed at ending the conflict.

A State Department spokesperson said a "core delegation from the Iranian regime" would be allowed to attend the meeting in line with the United States' obligations as the world body's host country.

That means officials including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will be granted visas, according to a source familiar with the decision.

President Donald Trump's administration has held on-again, off-again talks with Iran's leaders aimed at ending the war that began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases.

"The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year," the State Department spokesperson added.

In the past, the US government has barred Iran's delegation from shops and restricted its movements to travel between the United Nations headquarters, the Iranian UN mission and UN ambassador's residence and New York's John F Kennedy Airport.

Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Under the 1947 U.N. "headquarters agreement," the United States is generally required to allow access to the United Nations for foreign diplomats. But Washington says it can deny visas for "security, terrorism and foreign policy" reasons.

The Trump administration on Wednesday said it would deny entry to Palestinian officials for the UN meeting, extending a ban in place since last year, over actions they took to "internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a visa as part of the US move, a Palestinian official said. REUTERS