BICOM

US Senators have passed legislation to ban Hamid Aboutalebi, Iran’s proposed ambassador to the United Nations (UN), from entering the country; citing his apparent role in the 1979 hostage crisis.

The US administration, in the midst of nuclear talks with Iran, had called on the Senate not to introduce a bill imposing new sanctions on Tehran. However, legislation authored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz passed easily with the support of more hawkish elements of the Democratic Party on Monday. UN protocol implores the US to accept UN diplomats and staff from other countries; however, the State Department has not given a clear indication as to whether Aboutalebi will be issued with a visa or not.

Yesterday, in wake of the vote, the Obama administration appeared to take a harder line. Press Secretary Jay Carney said, “We’ve informed the government of Iran that this potential selection is not viable”. Earlier, the administration had referred to Aboutalebi’s appointment as “extremely troubling”.

These developments occur as Iran and P5+1 representatives are meeting in Vienna to continue efforts to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme. A US State Department official briefing journalists on Friday confirmed that the parties were on course to start drafting an agreement in May and that concluding an agreement by the 20 July deadline.  However, the official stressed that, “in order to ensure that they will not obtain a nuclear weapon and that the international community has the assurances it needs that their program is entirely and exclusively peaceful, they will have to make some significant changes and some significant choices.”