Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo has joined the chorus of US officials who have called on the Biden administration not to allow Iran’s president to enter the US for the UN General Assembly.
Pompeo, who was one of the main targets of a newly-revealed assassination campaigns by Iran, told the Washington Free Beacon that the Biden administration is setting a dangerous precedent by permitting Ebrahim Raisi -- who is on the US and European sanctions list -- into the US to attend UN ceremonies next month following his repeated threats against the US.
"We worked for four years to deny Iranian terrorists the freedom to put Americans at risk. This administration is allowing them to come to New York City while actively engaged in efforts to kill Americans on US soil. The Iranians just recently sponsored an attack that was almost successful in killing an American in that very city. We can do better," Pompeo said, referring to the Justice Department charges against a member of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) for an alleged plot to kill former national security advisor John Bolton and Pompeo.
Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, also criticized the UN for providing a megaphone to the world’s top sponsor of terror.
"This shows just how corrupt and broken the UN is. Even when Iranian terrorists try to assassinate our officials, on our soil, the UN welcomes them with open arms and lets them give a speech," she said.
Earlier in the month, eight US Republican senators, including Tom Cotton, March Rubio, Joni Ernst and Ted Cruz, wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to deny the visa to Raisi.