A senior official in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration was reportedly scheduled to meet this week with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, according to journalist Adam Lehodey reporting for City Journal.
Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, was listed on a calendar invitation for a July 7 meeting with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the U.N., at 2 United Nations Plaza, alongside two other officials from the office.
Lehodey reported that the meeting was canceled after a “last-minute intervention” by the U.S. State Department. The purpose of the planned meeting was not disclosed.
The reported meeting drew criticism from some Jewish and pro-Israel observers, who questioned the decision to engage with a representative of the Iranian regime, which the United States and its allies have accused of supporting terrorist organizations including Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Just so we’re clear—an official with Communist Mayor Mamdani tried to meet with the Jew-hating, genocidal Iranian regime,” Curtis Houck, managing editor of NewsBusters, wrote. ”Enemy of the state.”
Iravani has represented Tehran at the United Nations since 2022 and has frequently defended Iran’s policies in international forums, including during recent debates over regional security and tensions with Israel and the United States.
Archila, a longtime progressive activist and former co-executive director of the New York Working Families Party, was appointed by Mamdani to lead the city’s diplomatic engagement with foreign governments, consulates and international organizations. The office serves as New York City’s liaison to the United Nations, the State Department and the broader diplomatic community.
