US denies visas to Iranian president's UN delegation; Tehran calls move hostile

The United States has denied visas to several members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s UN delegation, including his communications team, ahead of his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Iran called the move "hostile" and unprecedented. The visa denials were reported by Iranian state media, which quoted a spokesperson for the presidency. The US has authorized the delegation to travel to New York but will impose restrictions, including a ban on purchasing luxury goods, as it did last year. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Qatar for a stopover en route to the US. Separately, Iran said it conveyed conditions through Qatar for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which it has blocked since the war began, while the US has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports.