Iran general urges Tehran to make new UN pick

AP: A senior Iranian military official has urged the foreign ministry to name a new envoy to the U.N. after the U.S. blocked its chosen ambassador over alleged ties to the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A senior Iranian military official has urged the foreign ministry to name a new envoy to the U.N. after the U.S. blocked its chosen ambassador over alleged ties to the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Semiofficial Fars news agency also quoted Gen. Mohammad Bagherzadeh as saying Saturday that Hamid Aboutalebi should remain close to his mother because the family lost two sons during the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday aimed at blocking Aboutalebi from entering the U.S. Tehran has refused to name a different envoy after Washington refused to grant him an entry visa. Iran says it is challenging the U.S. “through legal channels.” Iranian lawmakers say American opposition to Aboutalebi’s entry is a misuse of the geographical location of the U.N.