Republican senators have urged the White House to prevent senior Iranian officials, including elected President Ebrahim Raisi, from entering the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings later this year. In a letter sent late Tuesday, a group of senators led by Tom Cotton called on President Joe Biden's administration to deny visas to Raisi and other Iranian government diplomats, citing Raisi's involvement in the "Death Committee" in 1988, which approved the mass execution of Iranian dissidents, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
The senators also stated in their letter, “Ebrahim Raisi must remain subject to U.S. sanctions.” They added, “If the United Nations General Assembly maintains its current plans to allow some in-person attendance, the White House must deny visas to Raisi and other Iranian leaders. Allowing Raisi to travel to the U.S.—to the same city where the Iranian regime recently attempted to kidnap an American citizen—would legitimize his repression, undermine America’s moral leadership, and potentially jeopardize our national security, given the likelihood of intelligence agents being part of the Iranian travel group.”
Cotton and his colleagues emphasized that the Biden administration should take a principled stance to show Raisi that the United States will hold him accountable for past and current human rights violations by the regime.
They added, “Ebrahim Raisi is proud of his record. In 2018, he defended his role in the Death Committee in 1988,” underscoring that “Raisi's role in the death committees, the brutal repression of Iranian protesters, and his ties to the Revolutionary Guard should disqualify him from receiving a U.S. visa.”
The letter was signed by Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chuck Grassley, Rick Scott, and Marsha Blackburn.
It is noted that, according to The Washington Free Beacon, Raisi's election presents a diplomatic challenge for the Biden administration as it negotiates with Tehran to renew a nuclear agreement. Iran recently suspended talks pending Raisi's official inauguration. Given Raisi's close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the regime is likely to adopt a more hardline approach in negotiations to seek comprehensive relief from harsh economic sanctions. It is also mentioned that the U.S. government sanctioned Raisi in 2019 for his leadership role in torturing and killing Iranian prisoners, including children.
