Outrage at Iran President's NYC Trip after U.S. Threats, Holocaust Doubts

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi arrived in New York amid a furor over Tehran's threats against U.S. officials, a massacre that took place in 1988 and protests against his regime sparked by the death of a woman arrested by its morality police.

The Iranian president arrived on Monday to speak at the United Nations General Assembly on the heels of a CBS News interview where he called U.S. sanctions "tyrannical" and questioned whether the Holocaust occurred, saying that it should be "investigated and researched."

He also said "we cannot trust the Americans" over any nuclear weapons deal after former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of a deal in 2018. The Biden administration is trying to restore the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed charges in August against a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over an alleged plot to assassinate former national security adviser John Bolton.

This followed Tehran's threats of retaliation against Trump administration officials such as Bolton, a fierce critic of Iran's regime, over the January 2020 assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by U.S. drone strike.

"It is a complete disgrace for President Biden to allow Raisi to set foot on American soil, especially when Iran is trying to assassinate senior U.S. officials," tweeted Arizona Republican Senator Tom Cotton, adding that he "is a mass murderer serving a terrorist regime."

When asked about the visit of the ultra-conservative former judiciary chief who took over last year from the more moderate Hassan Rouhani, a State Department spokesperson told Newsweek in August that visa records were confidential under American law.

Also as the host nation of the U.N., the U.S. is "generally obligated" under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement to facilitate travel to the U.N. headquarters district by representatives of U.N. member states, the spokesperson said.

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and the Iranian foreign ministry for comment.

However, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, said she believed Raisi should not be allowed on U.S. soil, tweeting: "Our tax dollars are being used to provide security for Iran's president during #UNGA.

"Ebrahim Raisi's brutal regime plotted to murder Americans on U.S. soil and is responsible for terror around the globe. It's a disgrace that President Biden allowed him to set foot in our country."

The Iranian opposition group the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), which is seeking to overthrow the regime, has said Raisi should face justice for the 1988 massacre.

When asked about those executions of thousands of prisoners when he was chief prospector of the Tehran revolutionary court, Raisi told CBS News, "what kind of proof can you offer for this?" calling them "just allegations and claims made by members of a terrorist group."

In August, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York agreed to hear a case brought by Iranian expatriates, in a bid for Raisi to face legal accountability.

MEK spokesman Shahin Gobadi told Newsweek that protesters from around the U.S. would demonstrate the visit in front of the U.N. on Wednesday, describing Raisi's appearance as "an affront to the very values and principles upon which the United Nations is founded."

"This is more appalling at a time when anti-regime protests, with women at the forefront, have been erupting in scores of cities and towns across Iran for the past few days with calls for the ouster of Khamenei and his regime," he added.

Heated demonstrations have taken place across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was arrested by Iran's morality police last week who alleged she had issues with her headscarf.

Police said she had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital but her father said she had no health problems and suffered bruising to her leg. The case ignited international anger and the hashtag #MahsaAmini trended on Twitter.

Both France and the U.S. have condemned the arrest and violence that led to Amini's death, while the U.N. Human Rights Office has called for an investigation.

Iranian police have denied any allegations of torture or abuse, while foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said according to the Associated Press, "We strongly reject any intervention by U.S. officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran's domestic affairs."