US Grants Visas to Iranian Delegation for UN General Assembly Amid Ongoing Tensions

The administration led by US President Donald Trump made a major announcement last week on Thursday (September 17, 2026) that it will grant visas to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and members of the Iranian delegation to attend the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to be held in New York. This decision of the Trump administration came at a time when there has been an official war between the US and Iran for the last 7 months in West Asia and the situation of tension continues. The US State Department has linked this approval to the legal responsibilities and scope of the US as the host country of the United Nations (UN) headquarters. This responsibility comes under Section 11 of the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement, which states that visas will be issued freely and without delay to the representatives of the member countries. However, this time the Iranian delegation will be more stringent than the previous delegation from Iran.