Eight Republican senators launch the SEVER Act to stop sanctioned Iranian officials—cronies of Ayatollah Khamenei—from abusing U.S. soil and the UN as a platform for terror propaganda.
A bold new move in Washington aims to slam the door on Iran’s terror mouthpieces. Eight Republican senators have introduced the Strengthening Entry Visa Enforcement and Restrictions (SEVER) Act, legislation designed to bar sanctioned Iranian officials from entering the United States to masquerade as “diplomats” at the United Nations.
The bill directly targets those linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei under Executive Order 13876—an order signed by President Donald Trump in 2019 sanctioning more than 100 regime loyalists and entities.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) minced no words:
“If you are a crony of the ayatollah sanctioned by the United States, you pose a threat to the safety and security of Americans. You should not be allowed on American soil—let alone to use the UN as a propaganda stage.”
The legislation is spearheaded by Cruz and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), with support from Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Ashley Moody (R-FL), John Barrasso (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN). In the House, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) has introduced a companion bill.
This move underscores America’s longstanding hostility toward Tehran’s terror regime. The U.S. has had no diplomatic ties with Iran since 1980, and Iranian diplomats in New York are already tightly restricted. Just this week, the State Department barred them from shopping in luxury and wholesale stores—an extraordinary measure exposing how even their presence in America is treated as a national security risk.
This is not the first time Washington has flexed against Iran’s terror envoys.
- In 2019, the Trump administration denied a visa to Iranian FM Javad Zarif—himself sanctioned—to visit Iran’s UN ambassador in a hospital.
- In 2020, Zarif was barred entirely from addressing the UN Security Council after the U.S. eliminated terror mastermind Qassem Soleimani.
- Even when Zarif was allowed in, he was confined to a six-block radius around Iran’s mission in Manhattan.
The message is clear: America will not serve as a platform for Iranian propaganda. And Israel, constantly targeted by Tehran’s terror proxies, stands to benefit directly from a stronger U.S. line against the regime.
As Cruz and his colleagues push forward, the SEVER Act draws a red line—ensuring Iran’s terror-linked officials are kept far from American soil, its people, and its institutions.
