US ‘squandering prestige’ for denying visa to Aboutalebi: Journalist
… by Jim W. Dean, VT Editor, … with Press TV, Tehran
The Obama administration is “squandering its prestige” over the refusal to issue a visa to Iran’s chosen ambassador to the United Nations, a political commentator in Atlanta says.
You can listen to the 2:30 minute audio interview at Press TV here.
“I think most Americans with some sense of diplomacy are looking at all of this with utter astonishment to see the US squandering its prestige over these most minor issues,” said Jim Dean, the managing editor and columnist at VT.
On Friday, President Barack Obama signed an unusual legislation aimed at blocking Iran’s pick for UN envoy, Hamid Aboutalebi. Washington argued that Aboutalebi is suspected of involvement in the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran during post-revolution incidents in 1979.
The US House of Representatives had unanimously approved the legislation on April 10.
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian university students took over the US Embassy in Tehran, which they believed had turned into a den of espionage. Documents found at the compound later corroborated the claims by the students.
“Even if the man was an interpreter for the people who were involved in the hostage taking and whatever, I mean that was so many years ago,” Dean told Press TV on Saturday.
The US decision to deny a visa to Abutalebi “just makes no sense …[and] is so vain, all they’re doing is embarrassing the country,” he added.
Aboutalebi denies any direct role in the embassy takeover, saying he worked as an interpreter while negotiations for the release of the hostages were going on.
Iran has sent a letter of complaint to the UN over the US refusal to issue the visa. The Iranian mission has also filed a letter, which was released on Monday, with the UN’s Committee on Relations with the Host Country.
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Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.
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