*UNITED NATIONS / UNITED STATES: *Hassan Rouhani landed in New York onMonday for the UN General Assembly, but the Iranian leader won’t be allowedto see much of the Big Apple while he is here.
Iran’s president is subject to the same strict travel restrictions imposedon staff at the Iranian mission to the United Nations in July, diplomatstold *AFP*.
Under the restrictions, Rouhani cannot venture far from the UNheadquarters, which sit on the East River on the eastern side of Manhattanisland.
The US government has granted him special authorization to stay at a hotel,however.
Rouhani is due to address the General Assembly and hold a press conferenceon Wednesday.
His visit comes during heightened tensions between arch-foes the US andIran and amid fevered speculation about whether he will meet with PresidentDonald Trump.
Foreign officials have been known to take a bit of time out from the UNGAby doing some shopping or taking a stroll in Central Park, but those arenot options open to Rouhani.
The Iranian leader is limited to an area bound by First Avenue, where theUN headquarters are, and East 42nd street to the south and East 48th streetto the north.
Similar limitations have been imposed on foreign leaders not to America’sliking in the past, such as the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a UNofficial said.
Read Top Stories
The United States had dragged its heels on granting visas to members of theIranian delegation, prompting criticism from several countries and forcingthe UN to intervene.
As the host government, the US is generally obliged to issue visas todiplomats who serve at UN headquarters.
But Iran and the United States have been at loggerheads since May lastyear, when Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal and began reimposingsanctions in a “maximum pressure” campaign.
Iran responded by scaling back its commitments under the landmark accord,which gave it the promise of sanctions relief in return for limiting thescope of its nuclear program.
Iranian state media said last week that Rouhani and his delegation could beforced to skip the General Assembly because they were yet to receive theirvisas.
Rouhani has to travel between JFK Airport and the UN using a tunnelconnecting the boroughs of Queens and Manhattan, as the restrictionsprevent him from going over any of New York’s bridges.
He is allowed to attend the residence of the Iranian ambassador on theplush Fifth Avenue under an exemption granted to all Iranian mission staff.-APP/AFP
