US is blocking Iranian diplomats in US from shopping at Costco

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration is blocking Iranian diplomats from accessing the “wholesale club stores” like Costco and purchasing luxury goods while in the United States, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Monday.

Iranian officials visiting New York for the annual UN General Assembly are also restricted “to the areas strictly necessary to transit to and from the UN headquarters district to conduct their official UN business,” Pigott said in a statement Monday. The US government has put restrictions on the Iranian delegation’s movements in the past.

In a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register, the State Department said that Iranian officials, including those stationed at the Iranian Mission in New York, must obtain approval to have a membership and purchase items “at any wholesale club store in the United States, to include but not limited to Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s Wholesale Club.”

They must also receive permission to purchase “luxury items” valued at over $1,000, including watches, leather and silk apparel, furs, jewelry, perfumes, electronics, and alcohol, as well as cars valued over $60,000.

Many products available in the US are not available in Iran, which is under crippling sanctions.

“We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity,” Pigott said Monday.

In addition to the restrictions on the Iranian delegation’s movements, the Trump administration also blocked visas for officials from the Palestinian Authority, including President Mahmoud Abbas, and they were unable to attend the two-state conference on Monday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to lead the Iranian delegation traveling to the New York for the annual gathering. It comes amid the looming re-imposition of all UN sanctions lifted under the Iran nuclear deal.

“The security of Americans is always our priority, and the United States will not allow the Iranian regime to use UNGA as an excuse to travel freely in New York to promote its terrorist agenda,” Pigott said.

“By preventing Iranian regime officials from exploiting diplomatic travel to the UN as a means to obtain goods unavailable to the Iranian public, we are sending a clear message: When the United States says it stands with the people of Iran, we mean it,” he continued. “Today’s actions affirms the United States’ unwavering commitment to supporting the Iranian people in their pursuit of accountability for the regime and for a better life.”

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