Photo Credit: Courtesy: David Friedman
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week urged President Joe Biden’s administration to refuse an entry visa to Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who plans to travel to New York next month to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly.
“We have worked for four years to deny the freedom of Iranian terrorists to put Americans at risk,” Pompeo said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon.
“This administration allows them to come to New York City while actively participating in efforts to kill Americans on US soil. The Iranians just recently sponsored an attack that almost successfully killed an American in that very city,” he noted in a reference to the recent near-fatal stabbing of Iranian ex-pat author Salman Rushdie. “We can do better than that.”
Iran’s foreign ministry denied any responsibility for Tehran’s attack, spokesman Nasser Kanaani told reporters. “We categorically” deny any connection to the attack, he said. “Nobody has the right to sue the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
However, he added: “By insulting the sacred matters of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than a billion and a half Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has exposed himself to the wrath and fury of the people.”
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also called on the Biden administration to block Raisi from entering the country in a tweet on Wednesday.
Iran’s Supreme Leader is openly trying to execute Americans on our soil.
The United States should sanction him as a terrorist, not shake his hand and make a deal with him. https://t.co/fVYelS0AiW
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 17, 2022
Also the organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). went even furthercalling on Biden to designate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under US Executive Order 13224 and other international terrorism agencies.
UANI is led by Mark Wallace, former US Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform. Its chairman is former Connecticut Senator Joe Liberman.
“We call on the United Nations, the European Union and the United Kingdom to also use their respective authorities to sanction Khamenei as a terrorist. His regime poses a clear and present threat to the international community. For far too long, Khamenei has been allowed to hide behind his presidents and religious piety to avoid international scrutiny,” the group said in a statement on its website.
“It’s time to hold him personally accountable.”
