The ministry considered the tightening of restrictions on the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York a violation of Iran’s legal rights. It called on the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to seriously intervene to prevent these violations. In its statement, it noted that “imposing wide-ranging restrictions on the residence and movements of Iranian diplomats, and increasing restrictions on their bank accounts and daily purchases, is part of the pressure and harassment designed to hinder the normal and legal functioning of the Iranian mission,” according to Mehr News Agency of Iran.
The statement described the US State Department’s decision to prohibit three Iranian mission employees from continuing their activities as “the peak of America’s legal transgressions and a violation of its obligations as a host country,” asserting that this step raises questions about the US government’s eligibility to host the United Nations.
The statement did not specify when the restrictions were tightened, but in September 2025, the US imposed strict restrictions on the Iranian delegation participating in the UN General Assembly in New York, restricting their movement and preventing them from entering wholesale stores and purchasing luxury goods.
Before the September restrictions, members of the Iranian delegation were allowed to move between the UN headquarters, the Iranian mission to the UN, the Iranian ambassador’s residence at the UN, and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated after the two countries engaged in five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations, which concluded with a 12-day aerial war in June, during which Israel and America bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
