US to allow Iranian leaders to attend UN meeting in New York amid wartime stand-off

The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials, including the president and foreign minister, to attend next week’s UN General Assembly high-level meeting in New York even as the two countries are locked in a stalemated war.

The State Department said Thursday that it had approved visas for Iran’s “core delegation”, along with essential staffers to participate in the UN meetings. The core delegation includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to visa privacy laws.

The move is unusual due to the more than six-month-long conflict between Iran and the United States and no sign that agreements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are close.

US President Donald Trump has said he has a “big decision” to make over his stalled war with Iran - mainly whether he should “annihilate” the Islamic Republic or not.