Overview
- Russia's U.N. ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Tuesday that the United States did not grant a visa for Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov to attend a Security Council session chaired by China's Wang Yi.
- U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq reiterated the long-standing position that the host country should issue visas to participants in U.N. activities at its New York headquarters.
- The U.S. State Department has not provided an immediate public explanation for the visa decision when asked by journalists.
- Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also did not attend the same meeting after his trip was reported cancelled over visa problems, a development reported by multiple outlets.
- The refusal is the latest in a string of recent access disputes that involve U.S. visa controls, a situation that could hamper multilateral diplomacy and heighten geopolitical signaling between Washington, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.