"Not on our watch": US warns Iranian officials against luxury shopping during UNGA
Washington DC, September 18
US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Thursday warned Iranian officials against using their visit to New York for the UN General Assembly to go on luxury shopping sprees, saying, "not on our watch", even as the US has approved visas for Iran's delegation to attend the UNGA High-Level Week.
Pigott tried to compare the claimed plight of an average Iranian against the officials who will be visiting New York for the 81st UNGA High-Level Week and, according to him, will use the opportunity to go on "shopping sprees". He also claimed that the "shopping sprees" will be done on money that is paid for by the "Iranian people's suffering."
In a post on X, Pigott said, "While ordinary Iranians endure brutal repression, water and electricity shortages, and soaring inflation, the regime's officials want to go on shopping sprees in New York. Not on our watch. We will not let the Iranian regime's elites exploit UNGA for a luxury retail splurge paid for by the Iranian people's suffering, all while the regime funnels Iran's wealth to support its terrorist proxies."
He added, "The US will continue to ban Iranian UN Mission officials, visiting officials, and their dependents from buying wholesale club memberships or luxury goods here. New York-area retailers: be on guard, don't become complicit in these violations."
The remarks came as the US State Department issued visas to Iran's delegation to attend next week's UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York, according to Anadolu news agency.
"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
"The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year," the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
Iran's delegation reportedly includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The US, as host country of the UN headquarters, is obligated under a longstanding agreement to facilitate visas for delegations attending UN meetings.
The 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week is scheduled to begin on Friday and continue through September 28.
The visa move came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US over the Strait of Hormuz, despite a memorandum signed in June envisioning a deal to reopen the strategic waterway as a prelude to a wider peace agreement.
On Thursday (local time), US President Donald Trump said that Iran wants to reach a deal with Washington but is not yet ready, as he signalled that any agreement must meet US expectations.
This came ahead of Trump's expected meeting with leaders and foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has extended sanctions denying visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA), citing what it described as their failure to comply with commitments made to the United States, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In a statement issued by the Office of the Spokesman, the State Department said it had reported to Congress that the PLO and PA had "once again, failed to live up to their commitments" under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA).
— ANI
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