Biden Administration Restricts Movements of Iranian Foreign Minister in New York

On Thursday, April 30, the Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department announced that the Biden administration has imposed restrictions on Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, during his visit to New York. Vedant Patel explained that Amir-Abdollahian is only allowed to move within a two-block radius of the United Nations building in New York, the Iranian representation office, and the residence of the Iranian representative to the UN, but he can use John F. Kennedy Airport for his departure from the U.S. In response to objections regarding why the Biden administration issues visas to senior Iranian officials, U.S. State Department spokespersons have consistently referred to the United States' commitments to the UN as its host. Mark Wallace, the director of the 'United Against a Nuclear Iran' organization, on Wednesday, April 22, wrote to Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, asking him to deny Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's visa request for entry into the U.S. In his letter to Blinken, Wallace stated that 'the U.S. government has repeatedly issued visas to him despite Amir-Abdollahian's oppressive behavior on U.S. soil,' adding, 'He has threatened the United States and spoken against America and Jews during his time in New York.' He continued, 'The Tehran regime has intensified its brutal domestic repression in Iran, and the number of executions in the country has increased; therefore, we remain concerned about the overly generous visa policy of the U.S. State Department towards Iranian government officials who are partners in terrorism and repression.'