Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations said on Tuesday that Washington declined to grant a visa to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, who had planned to participate in a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. The session, chaired by China's foreign minister, addressed the U.N. charter and ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation.
Vassily Nebenzia made the assertion during the 15-member council meeting led by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying Alimov had intended to be present. Nebenzia said the visa denial amounted to a breach of the United States' obligations as host to the United Nations.
Separately, a U.N. diplomat said Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had also apparently been denied a visa to attend the same meeting. A U.S. State Department official, speaking on Wednesday on condition of anonymity, countered that Washington did not prevent the Iranian minister from traveling to New York.
The council's discussion, focused on upholding the U.N. charter and reinforcing multilateral cooperation, is due to continue on Thursday after a U.N. holiday on Wednesday.
Requests for comment on Araqchi's situation were not answered on Tuesday by the State Department or the U.S. mission to the United Nations, and Iran's mission to the U.N. also did not respond. The State Department and the U.S. mission likewise did not answer questions about Alimov when asked.
Nebenzia said Alimov, who is responsible for U.N.-related matters in the Russian Foreign Ministry, had been invited by China to attend and described the visa refusal as "an egregious instance of disrespect" for China's U.N. presidency, particularly given the meeting's focus on the U.N. charter. "Despite all of our attempts to persuade the U.S. side to issue a visa to him, that visa was ultimately not granted," he said.
Invoking the terms of the U.N. Headquarters Agreement, Nebenzia argued that access to U.N. headquarters in New York "needs to be provided for all officials of member states, barring none." China’s mission told the council it had no information about visa issues.
At a U.N. news briefing on Tuesday, U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq reiterated the organization's expectation that the host country issue visas to those who need to participate in U.N. activities at headquarters, saying: "We expect the host country to issue visas to all of those who need to participate in the activities of the United Nations at our headquarters here." Haq added that Araqchi was not in New York and would not meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday as had been scheduled, and that he did not know the reason for the absence.
The unnamed State Department official said: "We take seriously our obligations under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement ... questions regarding the Iranian delegation’s travel decisions should be directed to the Government of Iran."
The visa disputes unfolded amid heightened tensions in the region. Iran said on Tuesday that the United States had violated the ceasefire in their war after the U.S. carried out what it described as defensive strikes in southern Iran. In response to an Iranian state television report about a possible framework deal with the U.S. to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels and to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran’s vicinity, the White House on Wednesday dismissed the report as "a complete fabrication."
China's foreign minister, who chaired the Security Council meeting, told reporters he hoped parties involved in the conflict would remain committed to the ceasefire and "meet each other halfway." Wang also said there was a need to "reinvigorate" the U.N. Charter amid rising instability and conflict, warning that "a giant ship of global civilization is sailing into dangerous waters."
At the meeting, Secretary-General Guterres told attendees that the world faced the greatest number of conflicts since the United Nations was established in 1945 and faced "new and uncharted risks to peace and security."
Nebenzia seized on broader geopolitical themes, saying the U.N. charter was under severe strain and accusing Western-led countries of applying double standards to preserve their dominance. He further warned that remilitarization in Germany and Japan posed a dangerous threat to global security and risked undoing the outcomes of World War Two, saying: "The policy of remilitarization is undermining the U.N.-centric international system."
He added: "Countries that were defeated during the Second World War are seeking plausible pretexts for rewriting its outcomes, and their rhetoric should not mislead anybody. This is a very dangerous trend, which warrants the attention of the entire international community."
The council will reconvene its discussion after the U.N. holiday, with participants expected to return to the themes of the charter and multilateral cooperation. Questions about visa issuance and the participation of senior officials in U.N. meetings are likely to remain a point of contention as diplomats continue to debate the scope and responsibilities of the host country under the Headquarters Agreement.