US mulls banning Iranians from Costco shopping during UN session
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US weighs travel limits on UN diplomats from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Brazil, including banning some of them from membership-only stores like Costco.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at UN headquarters (AP)
After banning visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend a UN meeting, the Trump administration is also considering imposing severe travel restrictions on the delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and potentially Brazil, which would limit their movement outside of New York City, according to an internal State Department memo reviewed by the Associated Press.
While the potential restrictions remain under consideration and the circumstances are subject to change, these proposals would mark another step in the Trump administration's crackdown on visas, a policy that includes a wide-ranging review of individuals who already hold legal permission to enter the US alongside those seeking entry specifically for the UN meeting.
Although the movements of Iranian diplomats are already severely limited in New York, one proposal being floated would bar them from shopping at big, members-only wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club without first receiving the express permission of the State Department.
While it was not immediately clear if or when the proposed shopping ban for Iran would take effect, the memo stated that the State Department was also looking at drafting rules that would allow it to impose terms and conditions on memberships in wholesale clubs for all foreign diplomats in the US.
For Brazil, it remained uncertain if potential restrictions would apply to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva or be limited to the lower-level members of its UN delegation.
Lula has been a target of US President Trump, who objects to his government’s prosecution of his friend, former President Jair Bolsonaro, on allegations of leading an attempted coup.
Though named as possible targets in the memo, the specific restrictions that might be imposed on the Sudanese and Zimbabwean delegations were not specified.
