TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has said the United States has no right to deny entry to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Washington has no right, in legal terms, to ban the presidents or foreign ministers of other countries from taking part in the annual meetings of the UN General Assembly, Tasnim on Monday quoted Mousavi as saying.

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) will open on September 17.

“If all goes well, the trip by Mr. Zarif and his accompanying delegation (to New York) will take place, and he will be pursuing active diplomacy in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and inside the United Nations,” Mousavi added.

Last month, the U.S. blacklisted Zarif for acting on behalf of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei, who is also subject to U.S. sanctions.

Ever since the announcement, there has been a huge torrent of support for the chief Iranian diplomat both at home and abroad. 

Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, has said the sanctions demonstrated the deep impact of the chief diplomat on public opinion in the United States.

President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA), reimposed the “harshest sanctions” on Iran and at the same time pushed for talks with Tehran. 

Tehran says a U.S. return to the JCPOA and lifting of the illegal sanctions are necessary prerequisites for any dialogue with Washington.

MH/PA