On Wednesday, September 24, Iran accused the US of trying to sabotage its diplomatic mission attending the 80th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York. It also called the restrictions imposed on the movement of its diplomats in the city “a new low in terms of showcasing the extent of animosity of US administration.”
“The US systematic harassment of Iranian diplomats has obstructed the Iranian delegates from attending several multilateral events that were held outside the so-called ‘permitted perimeters’ during this week only,” spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X.
The US Department of State had announced the restrictions on Iranian diplomats attending the UNGA session, claiming in a statement on Monday that it was part of its larger sanctions regime, the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian government.
The US has a long history of hostility toward the Iranian government. Throughout the history of the Islamic revolution, since 1979, the country has been under one or another kind of US sanctions.
Following his unilateral withdrawal from the multiparty nuclear deal in 2018, President Donald Trump had launched a new set of unilateral punitive measures against Iran, calling it a “maximum pressure campaign” apparently to force Iran to abandon its civilian nuclear program and missile defense program.
The US has prevented Iranian diplomats from moving anywhere outside the UN headquarters’ district and areas necessary for transit, claiming the measure is an attempt to prevent Iranians from using the “UNGA as an excuse to travel freely in New York to promote its terrorist agenda.”
The restrictions on Iranian diplomats at the UNGA included, among other things, them buying anything from the wholesale club stores and luxury goods in the city.
“We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity,” the statement from the state department reads.
A violation of Headquarters Agreement
Diplomats from over 150 countries are in New York this week to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Iran is the only full member country of the UN facing such restrictions from the US.
Iran accused that “applying such cheap restrictions on our diplomats’ movement” is a blatant violation of US obligations under the Headquarters Agreement.
Article 11 and 12 of the UN Headquarters Agreement, signed in 1947, says that irrespective of the state of the relationship between the US and a particular member state, the US government will not impose “any impediments to transit to and from the headquarters district” to diplomats and others invited by the UN.
The US has also denied visas to the Palestinian delegation and civil society groups, preventing them from attending the session despite it holding the status of an observer.
Acknowledging the significance of the UNGA session for Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed that it provides “an exceptional and unique opportunity to present the positions and views” of his country.
Noting the multilateral mandate of the UN, Pezeshkian however, accused certain world powers of pursuing unilateralist policies. He claimed that powerful countries across the world are using their influence and resources to oppress and destroy others, defeating the purpose of the UN.
“In the view of those countries, convergence means achieving their goals at the expense of everyone else’s lives. True convergence, however, means that all people, regardless of ethnicity, race, or beliefs, have the right to life and must respect the rights of others,” Pezeshkian said
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