Washington has cleared the way for Iran's president and foreign minister to travel to New York for next week's UN General Assembly, a decision that comes barely 24 hours after the United States refused entry to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the same summit.
The state department confirmed that visas had been issued to Iran's "core delegation", a group that includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with the aides required to support them at the gathering.
The officials, who declined to be named citing rules around visa confidentiality, said the clearance also extends to essential support staff travelling with the delegation, Reuters reported.
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What makes the move striking is the backdrop against which it has been granted.
Iran and the US remain in an active, unresolved conflict that has run for more than six months, with Washington yet to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports or its sanctions campaign, and with no breakthrough in sight on reopening the Strait of Hormuz or restarting nuclear negotiations.
Tensions have been compounded further by intensifying attacks from Iran-aligned Houthi forces on Saudi infrastructure.
The timing has also placed a spotlight on Washington's selective approach to this year's summit attendees. Abbas and his delegation were turned away from the same General Assembly proceedings, leaving Tehran's inclusion looking markedly different by comparison.
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The visa decision lands the same week that President Donald Trump signalled he was close to deciding whether to escalate military action against Iran once more, remarks he made ahead of a scheduled sit-down with Gulf state leaders on the sidelines of the UN gathering.
Trump has previously held off on resuming heavier strikes after regional allies flagged worries about retaliation against their own energy infrastructure.
For its part, Tehran has continued to signal willingness to negotiate an end to the standoff, even though formal talks have been on ice for several weeks.
Whether Pezeshkian's appearance in New York opens any fresh channel between the two governments remains to be seen.
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