US denies top Iran diplomat’s request to visit Washington: State Department

The US has denied Iran’s top diplomat a waiver needed to visit Washington, the State Department revealed on Monday.

State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Foggy Bottom refused Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s request to visit the Iranian consular interest section in Washington, DC, citing Iran’s detention of American citizens.

Just last week, five Americans were freed from Iran in exchange for releasing five Iranians from US custody and unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds abroad.

Amir-Abdollahian was in New York for the UN General Assembly last week and sought to visit Washington, according to Miller. The US permits officials to visit New York, home to the UN. However, sanctioned officials or diplomats from certain countries are often given permission to move freely around certain areas in New York. The Trump administration only allowed Iranian officials to visit a few neighborhoods in New York.

Miller said the US was obliged to allow Iranian officials and other officials of foreign governments to travel to New York for UN business. “But we do not have an obligation to allow them to travel to Washington, DC,” he said.

He added: “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.”