Overview
- The State Department announced on Sept. 17 that it will deny visas to Palestine Liberation Organization members and Palestinian Authority officials, a move that sources say covers President Mahmoud Abbas and extends the restriction imposed last year.
- The United Nations General Assembly voted to let Abbas speak remotely and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres publicly said he 'deeply regrets' the U.S. decision and urged Washington to ensure full UN participation.
- Washington said the visa denials respond to Palestinian steps at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice and to continued payments tied to prisoners, while keeping a standing waiver that allows accredited Palestinian mission staff to operate in New York.
- At the same time the U.S. granted visas to a smaller, tightly restricted core Iranian delegation including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and imposed travel limits and bans on luxury purchases during their stay.
- The split approach tightens U.S. leverage over Palestinian leadership and could heighten tensions with UN members that favor Palestinian access while preserving diplomatic channels for Iran at the UN, which may complicate mediation, ICC pressures, and wider regional diplomacy.