Javad Zarif's Trip to Washington Canceled

The U.S. State Department says that the trip of Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Javad Zarif, to Washington has been canceled at his own request. More details come from a report prepared by Mahtab Farid, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America. Frederick Jones, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated that Mohammad Javad Zarif, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, had received permission for such a trip within the framework of the restrictions placed on his travel to Washington: 'The government had allowed Mr. Zarif to travel to Washington, but with many restrictions. The Iranian ambassador decided to withdraw his request.' Due to the lack of political relations between Iran and the U.S., the Iranian ambassador to the UN must obtain prior permission from the U.S. State Department to travel outside New York, where the UN headquarters is located. The newspaper USA Today reports that Mr. Zarif canceled his trip to Washington because he could not give a speech at the Middle East Institute. According to this newspaper, the U.S. State Department had imposed restrictions on Mr. Zarif's travel plans in protest of a recent execution ruling for a critical Iranian professor. According to Reuters, the itinerary for Mr. Zarif's trip to Washington included meetings with several senators and representatives, giving a speech at the Middle East Institute, answering questions from attendees, and a dinner invitation. The same news agency quotes an unnamed official at the Iranian mission to the UN who blames the trip coordinator for the cancellation, stating, 'It was the responsibility of the Middle East Institute to coordinate the trip with the U.S. State Department. However, it seems this coordination did not take place.' Edward Walker, the head of the Middle East Institute, who was reportedly hosting Mr. Zarif, was not in Washington at the time of this report to respond to questions from the Persian section of Voice of America. Frederick Jones, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, left any decision regarding a new travel request for the Iranian ambassador to himself, saying, 'If he wishes to travel to Washington in the future or be invited to Washington, I guess he will have to submit his request to Washington again.' The Iranian official also stated, 'Iran's policy is to promote contact with the American people.'