The US Rejects the Islamic Republic's Request; Amir-Abdollahian's Trip to Washington Denied

On Monday, October 3, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, told the Persian section of Voice of America that the request of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Foreign Minister, to travel to Washington, the capital of the United States, has been denied. According to Miller, the US is committed to allowing Iranian officials and others to travel to New York to attend to matters related to the United Nations, but this commitment does not extend to Washington. The spokesperson added that given the ongoing detention of American citizens by the Islamic Republic and Iran's support for 'terrorism,' the United States did not find it 'appropriate or necessary' to grant Amir-Abdollahian permission to travel to Washington. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was part of the delegation accompanying Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, to participate in the 78th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Regarding the death of Faramarz Javidzad due to the Islamic Republic's officials preventing him from accessing necessary medical and pharmaceutical services, Miller expressed regret over the incident and extended condolences to his family, stating that Mr. Javidzad was not a US citizen. Miller added, 'We have no evidence to suggest that he had legal permanent residency.' In response to a question about whether Washington was aware of Mr. Javidzad's situation, the spokesperson said the United States does not track the status of all those who have lived in this country and have been imprisoned in Iran. He stated that Washington is aware of the status of American citizens and provides them with assistance. The US State Department had previously responded to reports about Faramarz Javidzad's death in Evin prison, saying, 'We are aware of reports of a death of an individual in one of Iran's prisons and are seeking further information. Due to privacy considerations, we will not make any further comments at this time.' Faramarz Javidzad, a Jewish citizen imprisoned in Iran suffering from 'heart disease, diabetes, and stomach bleeding,' died in Evin prison. Human rights sources attribute the cause of his death to lack of medical care. Following Javidzad's death in Evin prison, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that 'the delay by prison officials in sending him to the hospital' was one of the main factors in his death. Reports indicate that Javidzad suffered from 'stomach bleeding and severe blood pressure drop' on Friday, September 22, but the public relations department of the Tehran prisons organization denied the cause of death, calling it 'media manipulation by hostile media' and claimed that this prisoner had been sent to medical centers outside the prison five times due to a history of gastrointestinal disease and was transferred to the infirmary on October 1 'after his condition worsened' and despite medical efforts, 'he died.' An informed source told HRANA about 'the obstruction and delay by prison officials in providing adequate and timely medical care' contrary to 'the judge's approval for this 63-year-old Jewish citizen's transfer to medical facilities outside the prison.' According to this report, Faramarz Javidzad was arrested by the government agency 'Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command,' under the supervision of Ali Khamenei, and 'by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.' HRANA reported that this citizen 'after enduring about three months' detention in solitary confinement, was moved from Ward 209 of Evin to the general ward of this prison,' and 'those who saw him in prison described his physical and mental condition as poor.' This is not the first time that detainees in Iran have lost their lives. Last year, in addition to the killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, which sparked widespread protests, Jawad Rouhi, a detained protester, also died in prison. The continued detention of dual citizens in Iran despite the statements of Islamic Republic officials, the long list of dual prisoners; Amir-Abdollahian's claim: 'We do not consider them a threat,' the United Against a Nuclear Iran organization: 'The butcher of Tehran should not have been allowed to enter the US,' Raisi's speech at the UN; claiming 'miscalculations' by the West in last year's events in Iran, the request from the American Jewish Committee to the United Nations to condemn the Islamic Republic, and increasing criticism of Raisi's presence in New York; an American senator called him 'the butcher of Tehran.'