Originally published on the CGS blog on April 14, 2014.
The recent move by the Obama administration to bar Hamid Aboutalebi, nominated to be the Iranian ambassador to the UN, from entering the U.S. weakens the United Nations. By denying Aboutalebi a visa to access UN Headquarters in New York City, the United States is effectively commandeering UN policy and forcing the world organization’s proceedings to bow before U.S. national security interests.
The denial ignores the 1947 U.S./UN agreement that the U.S. will not interfere with diplomatic rights, the only exception being if the diplomat’s visit raises national security concerns.
The administration and Congress has overreacted to Aboutalebi’s role as a translator in the 1978-61 Iran Hostage Crisis. Aboutalebi, 22 during the crisis, has since lived the life of a career diplomat. He’s been the ambassador to Italy, Australia, Belgium, and the European Union. If he were a “terrorist”, as Senator Cruz labels him, then these countries and the EU would certainly never had allowed him to enter their territory.
Our leadership, in favor of negotiating nuclear capabilities with Iran or not, is still trapped by the perception of Iran as the enemy. I do not believe Aboutalebi is an enemy of the United States. However, what’s more concerning is the willingness of the U.S. to use its position as host of the UN headquarters to unilaterally satisfy national interests. The United States has no right to interfere with Iran’s choice for UN ambassador. No other nation in the world has this unique power over UN member states, given the location of UN Headquarters. The U.S. must restrain its policy to allow the world organization operate naturally.
