Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to fly to New York for the UN General Assembly this week, a striking development given that the United States and Iran remain locked in an active war that has now stretched past six months. Sky News is covering the visit closely, with Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons examining what it means to have Iran's president on American soil during ongoing hostilities that began when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran back on February 28. The State Department confirmed it approved visas for Iran's "core delegation," including Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, citing its host country obligations under the United Nations charter even as it denied entry to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas just a day earlier over accusations of glorifying terrorism.

Despite granting access, Washington isn't rolling out the welcome mat. Iranian officials will face strict travel restrictions, limited to movement between the UN headquarters, Iran's UN mission, the ambassador's residence, and JFK Airport, along with an outright ban on purchasing luxury goods or shopping at wholesale retailers like Costco during their stay. The delegation itself will be smaller than last year's, reflecting the strained state of relations even as the Trump administration continues on-again, off-again talks aimed at ending the war. With Pezeshkian and senior US officials, including President Trump himself, both expected in New York during the same stretch, the overlap creates a rare, if tightly controlled, opportunity for diplomatic contact between two nations technically still at war.