US Denies Visas for Iranian Presidential Media Team for UN General Assembly

Tehran (ANTARA) - The United States has refused to issue visas for the press team of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is set to travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday (21/9).

“When a government shuts its doors tightly, even to American journalists they dislike, and obstructs foreign reporters, including the Iranian President’s media team whose voices they wish to silence, such actions are not a form of regulating access,” Baghaey wrote on his X social media account.

Baghaei accused the move of being an attempt to hide the truth and perpetuate disinformation campaigns by ignoring the right to access information.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry clarified that Baghaei’s statement was in response to the visa denials for the Iranian Presidency’s media team for their trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, where Pezeshkian is scheduled to depart on Tuesday.

Furthermore, on 18 September 2026, US President Donald Trump announced a ban on CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from reporting at the White House, alleging that several of these media outlets were spreading “fake news.”

On 19 September, journalists from these three media organisations were denied access to the White House complex, and their access cards were deactivated or confiscated.