On April 10, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace called on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to deny a visa for Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and his delegation ahead of their anticipated visit to New York next week.
Amir-Abdollahian is expected to attend a United Nations meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict on April 18, 2024. However, recent revelations of his involvement in planning the October 7 attack on Israel and the IRGC’s training of Hamas terrorists have raised concerns.
April 18 also marks the 41st anniversary of the Iran-backed Hezbollah bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983, which killed 63 people, including 52 Lebanese and American Embassy employees, and injured 120.
It was a precursor to another Hezbollah bombing that same year, claiming 241 American lives. Given the IRGC’s role in fostering Hezbollah terrorism in the 1980s, Amir-Abdollahian’s presence would disrespect the victims of the attack and their families.
In a letter to Secretary Blinken, Ambassador Wallace highlighted Amir-Abdollahian’s threatening and inflammatory remarks during his previous visits to the United States.
He argued that granting visas to Iranian officials with ties to the regime’s terrorism and oppression contradicts U.S. principles and values.
Amnesty International recently revealed that Iran’s regime executed 853 people in 2023, the highest number recorded since 2015.
Wallace criticized the U.S. State Department’s “overly generous policy” of granting visas to Iranian officials complicit in human rights abuses.
UANI’s call to impose visa restrictions aligns with recent demands from both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress.
As a symbol of respect for the victims of IRGC and Hezbollah terrorism, Ambassador Wallace urged Secretary Blinken to rescind Amir-Abdollahian’s visa and deny him entry to the U.S.
