Iran to take up with UN the US' denial of visa for envoy Hamid Aboutalebi
Tehran not backing down on choice of diplomat despite United States' refusal to let him land in New York over role in 1979 embassy siege
Iran yesterday dismissed a US decision to deny a visa to its proposed new envoy to the UN, saying it would take up the case directly with the world body.
"We do not have a replacement for Mr Aboutalebi and we will pursue the matter via legal mechanisms anticipated in the United Nations," said Abbas Araghchi, a senior Foreign Ministry official.
The United States said on Friday it would not grant a visa to Hamid Aboutalebi, citing the envoy's links to the 1979-1981 hostage crisis.
United Nations officials and diplomats expressed concern at the US move. Three UN diplomats and two UN officials said Aboutalebi's case might make way for the US to use its authority more often to influence diplomatic appointments to the UN.
While there are no international mechanisms that require the US to uphold its agreement with the UN over its domestic laws, there is an expectation for Washington to adhere to international accords, said the two UN officials.
They said they saw limited legal footing for the US argument that an incident decades ago still poses a national-security threat.