Several Republican Senators Write to the President of the United States: Do Not Allow Ebrahim Raisi to Enter American Territory

Several Republican senators sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, urging him to prevent Iran's incoming president, Ebrahim Raisi, from entering the United States to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.

In the letter, sent Tuesday evening, Senator Tom Cotton, along with a group of other Republican senators, referred to Raisi's key role in the "Death Commission" and his human rights record, emphasized the need to continue the current sanctions against Raisi, and called on the US President to deny visas to him and other Iranian government diplomats.

In addition to Senator Cotton, five other senators—Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Rick Scott of Florida, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee—signed the letter, citing the recent failed attempt by Iranian intelligence agents to kidnap Masih Alinejad, an independent journalist and host and commentator on the Voice of America Tablet program, and saying that Raisi’s visit to “the same city where the Iranian regime recently attempted to kidnap a U.S. citizen” legitimizes Raisi’s repression and potentially “endangers U.S. national security.”

Following the announcement of Ebrahim Raisi's victory in the recent presidential election, Adam Schiff, a Democratic lawmaker and chairman of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said that the outcome of the election in Iran was predetermined, and that Iranians, by not attending the polls or even casting blank ballots, effectively showed their views to the government and said that they protested the current situation.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki also said in response to a question about how the United States would interact with Raisi given his human rights record and the fact that he is a person under sanctions: "The new president must now be held accountable for human rights violations during his presidency. We strongly urge the Iranian government or those in power to release political prisoners and improve the human rights situation and fundamental freedoms for all Iranians."

Source: Voice of America