HOUSTON: The Trump administration already has denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his large delegation to attend a high-level UN meeting this month and is now considering ramping up restrictions on several other delegations that would severely limit their ability to travel outside New York City.
Potential travel and other restrictions could soon be imposed on the delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe and, perhaps surprisingly, Brazil, which has held a traditional place of honor during the high-level leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly that begins Sept. 22, according to an internal State Department memo seen by The Associated Press.
While the potential restrictions are still under consideration and the circumstances could change, the proposals would be another step in the Trump administration’s crackdown on visas, including a wide-ranging review of those already holding legal permissions to come to the US and those seeking entry to head to the UN meeting.
The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York, but 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.
Such stores have been a favorite of Iranian diplomats posted to and visiting New York because they are able to buy large quantities of products not available in their economically isolated country for relatively cheap prices and send them home.
It was not immediately clear if or when the proposed shopping ban for Iran would take effect, but the memo said the State Department also was looking at drafting rules that would allow it to impose terms and conditions on memberships in wholesale clubs by all foreign diplomats in the US
For Brazil, it was not clear if any potential visa restrictions affect President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or lower-level members of the country’s delegation to the UN gathering.
Brazil’s president is traditionally the first world leader to speak before the gathered officials on the opening day of the session. The US president is by precedent the second speaker.
Lula has been a target of US President Donald Trump, who objects to his government’s prosecution of his friend, former President Jair Bolsonaro, on allegations of leading an attempted coup.
One country that will see fewer restrictions is Syria, whose delegation members have received a waiver from limitations that have been put on their UN travel for more than a decade.
That waiver was issued last week, according to the memo, and comes as the Trump administration seeks to build ties following the ouster last year of Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, and integrate the once-pariah nation into the Middle East.
Though named as possible targets, the memo did not specify what restrictions might be imposed on the Sudanese and Zimbabwean delegations.
The State Department did not immediately provide comment. The Iranian and Brazilian UN missions didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
US considers banning Iranians from shopping at Costco during UN meeting
https://arab.news/jzdqr
US considers banning Iranians from shopping at Costco during UN meeting
- Potential travel and other restrictions could soon be imposed on the delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe and, perhaps surprisingly, Brazil
- The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York
India rolls out strictest anti-pollution curbs as toxic smog engulfs Delhi
- Private monitors in several parts of northern Delhi recorded AQI spikes between 550 and 700s
- Authorities invoked stage four of the capital region’s emergency pollution-control framework
NEW DELHI: India’s capital choked under a thick blanket of smog on Sunday, with the government imposing anti-pollution curbs after monitoring stations in some areas recorded extremely hazardous air quality.
Home to 30 million people, Delhi has not recorded a single “clean air” day in 2025, with Air Quality Index readings hitting high above the 50 score throughout the year.
On the AQI scale from 0 to 500, good air quality is represented by levels below 50, while levels above 300 are dangerous.
Worsening since late October, official records over the weekend were in the severe to severe-plus range of 400–500, but as 24-hour averages, they did not capture the peaks. Private monitors in several parts of North and North West Delhi recorded AQI spikes above 550 and even into the 700s in real-time.
On Saturday evening, the Ministry of Environment’s Commission for Air Quality Management invoked stage four — the highest level — of the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and surrounding areas.
To “prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region,” the commission suspended all non-essential construction, shut stone crushers and mining operations, stopped entry of trucks into the capital region, and ordered schools to shift to hybrid classes or online, where possible.
While authorities blamed the pollution on “adverse meteorological conditions,” residents have been demanding more government action.
“The situation is so bad in Delhi that we don’t have any option but to force kids to do online classes. The government has failed us; it has not done anything to address the issue,” said Nabanita Nayak, who decided for her teenage children to attend school online only, despite concerns over their screen addiction.
“If the kids are too much in front of laptops, that’s also an issue. As a mother, I am worried.”
Delhi’s pollution has been worsening since Diwali in late October, when the average AQI has been above 370, or “very poor.” Since mid-November, it has been over 400, which means “severe” air quality, with certain areas recording 500 and above, which is classified as a “hazardous” level.
“I don’t feel proud living in Delhi. It’s the capital city of the country … We talk about being a developed nation by 2047 — we have deadlines,” said Jagriti Arora, who is keeping her 7-year-old daughter at home to prevent allergy flare-ups caused by air pollution.
“The government has to do something … China had a big problem with pollution, but now they’ve managed to bring it down.”
Delhi’s air quality deteriorates in winter due to local emissions and seasonal weather conditions. Cold temperatures and low wind speeds result in a temperature inversion, which traps pollutants close to the ground instead of letting them disperse. This allows emissions from millions of vehicles, ongoing construction, and nearby industrial activity to accumulate in the air. Urban waste burning and dust from construction sites further add to it.
“This is not a new thing. This has been happening now for over 10 years,” Arora said. “You can see it. You don’t need to actually look at an AQI meter to see how bad the pollution is these days.”
