Iran’s Zarif confirms US won’t grant him visa for UN visit

Iran’s foreign minister said Tuesday he’s been told he won’t get a US visa to travel to the United Nations later this week.

Mohammed Javad Zarif told “CBS This Morning” that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed the UN secretary general, who in turn relayed to Zarif, that “they didn’t have time to review my request.”

Zarif’s trip would have been an opportunity for him to discuss the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week. The targeted killing has escalated tensions with Iran, which has vowed to retaliate.

It’s not clear that Zarif’s request has been formally rejected, which would trigger legal technicalities that could affect future visa applications.

A US official said the visa application had not been processed but declined to comment on whether it had been formally denied. The State Department cited visa confidentiality laws that bar the release of such information with certain limited exceptions.

Zarif had applied for the visa in order to speak to a UN Security Council session Thursday about the importance of upholding the UN charter. A senior US official said Friday that “these things take time” but would not give details of the situation.

“This is because they fear someone will go there and tell the truth to the American people,” Zarif said earlier Tuesday. “But they are mistaken. The world is not limited to New York. You can speak with American people from Tehran too and we will do that.”

Under its obligations as the host country of the UN headquarters, the US is required in most circumstances to issue visas to foreign officials for meetings at the world body. However, there are exceptions and the US has severely restricted the movements of Iranian diplomats in New York in the past. It has also moved to bar non-UN-related travel by other foreign officials, notably the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Zarif’s visit for the Thursday meeting at the UN headquarters, which will focus on upholding the UN charter, was arranged before the recent flareup in tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The airstrike that killed Soleimani has further spiked friction between Tehran and Washington, with Iran vowing revenge and US President Donald Trump warning that any attack would be met with an immediate counterstrike.

Iran said Sunday, as a response to the strike, that it would no longer abide by any limits prescribed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Zarif was in the US in September last year to attend the annual UN general assembly of world leaders. He was also visited the UN in April and July. During his July visit US authorities tightly restricted his movements in New York.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.