Lawmakers Urge Action Against Iranian Delegation at UN
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) led a letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling for Iranian officials to be barred from entering the United States for the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York. He stated, “They are criminals. They support terrorism.”
This letter, endorsed by 40 lawmakers, requests the U.S. government to deny visa applications and limit the movement of Iranian President Masuud Pezeshkian and his team. The signatories emphasize that Tehran should not exploit the UN platform to project a misleading image of moderation.
“We support restricting the movement of Iranian delegations and aim to deny visas to key officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, whenever feasible,” the letter stated.
Lawmakers highlighted the harsh crackdown in Iran that followed the recent conflict with Israel, pointing out the “arbitrary arrests of hundreds of ethnic minorities, civil society leaders, and women’s rights activists.” They noted that on July 27, 2025, two opposition members, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, were executed, and many others remain on death row.
The letter also stressed that under Pezeshkian’s leadership, around 1,500 individuals, including political prisoners, have been executed over the past year. This increase follows a previous record year in 2024, which saw over 1,000 executions amid public dissent against the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei administration. The lawmakers warned that some senior officials have openly called for a repeat of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners.
“The rise in enforcement in Iran indicates they are far from moderate. They are criminals. They support terrorism and foster hatred and instability across the Middle East, directly threatening our interests,” the letter asserted.
The lawmakers asserted that preventing Iranian officials from misusing the UN platform is not only a moral duty but also a matter of national security.
“We urge the Iranian regime to use legal means to stop the exploitation of the National Assembly in solidarity with the Iranian people who seek a multiparty, secular, democratic, nuclear-free republic, while also promoting U.S. national security interests,” the letter concluded.
Among those joining Lawler in signing the letter were Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
This call to action aligns with previous efforts to restrict access for other groups deemed hostile. In July, the administration barred Palestinian officials from traveling to New York, and there has been lobbying for national recognition. Last month, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) confirmed that Palestinian leaders had been denied visas to enter the United States.
Lawmakers urged Trump to maintain this approach:
“We encourage you to stand against the Iranian regime and its continued human rights abuses, consistent with our commitment to ‘peace through strength’ and intensifying pressure against the regime. We anticipate further actions to counter the damaging effects of the Iranian government and support Iranian interests on the world stage.”
