US won’t grant Iran foreign minister visa for UN visit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States won’t issue Iran’s foreign minister a visa to travel to America later this week, contending there was not enough time to process the request.

Mohammed Javad Zarif told “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed the United Nation Secretary Seneral, who in turn relayed the information to Zarif.

Zarif’s trip would have been an opportunity for him to discuss the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad last week. 

That targeted killing has escalated tensions with Iran, which has vowed to retaliate.

A US official said Tuesday the application couldn’t be processed in time for Zarif’s travel although it wasn’t clear if his request had been formally denied.

A formal rejection would trigger legal technicalities that could affect future visa applications and could also violate the host country agreement the US has with the UN The official wasn’t authorised to speak on the record and discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.

The State Department declined to comment on the matter, citing visa confidentiality laws that bar the release of such information with certain limited exceptions, and Pompeo himself would not discuss specifics of the situation while briefing reporters.

“We don’t comment on visa matters of those travelling here to the United States on visas, so I can’t add much more on this issue of Foreign Minister Zarif’s travel to the United States,” he said.

“I’ll say only this: We will always comply with our obligations under the UN requirements, the headquarters agreement, and we will do so in this particular instance and more broadly.”

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