The Trump administration is considering imposing travel restrictions on the Iranian delegation at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York City, including bans on shopping at membership-based wholesalers popular with economically-isolated governments.
The Associated Press reported on an internal U.S. State Department memo, which details potential restrictions on delegations from Iran, Brazil, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
The report comes after the department announced last week that it was denying visas for officials from the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization, including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who was scheduled to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level debate week, which begins on Sept. 23.
The AP reports that discussions on Iranian restrictions are ongoing.
The United States, as the U.N. host country, typically must agree to provide visas to visiting diplomats but has made exceptions based on national security.
More often, it has instead granted visas but restricted travel to the U.N. district, which is a defined area including the U.N. headquarters and the surrounding neighborhood. This provision has often been applied to visiting Iranian officials.
The internal memo indicates the Trump administration is considering banning the Iranians from shopping at stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club without obtaining permission from the State Department.
Iranian diplomats are known to shop at such wholesalers to purchase items in bulk and at discount rates that aren’t available back home due to sanctions and other economic restrictions.
The memo reportedly stated that the department was weighing broader wholesale club membership restrictions on foreign diplomats posted in the United States.
