State Department Reportedly Weighing Banning Iran UN Delegation From Shopping at Costco

"The U.S. is reportedly weighing banning Iranian diplomats from visiting wholesale stores like Costco when they're in New York this month for the UN General Assembly meeting, a newly leaked memo shows. According to The Associated Press, one State Department proposal for limiting the Iranian delegation's movement would include barring them from member clubs like Costco and Sam's Club unless they received permission from the State Department."

"It is also considering placing "terms and conditions" on memberships for the stores for all foreign diplomats, the memo said. AP notes that Costco and other wholesale stores are popular among Iranian diplomats to buy items in bulk that they don't have access to back home. Iranians have faced a huge slate of sanctions from the U.S. for decades, with everyday Iranians often barred from accessing regular consumer goods even when they are in the U.S."

"A ban on Costco memberships for Iranian diplomats isn't new; in 2013, the company barred Iranian embassy workers in Japan and the U.K. from shopping at Costco clubs. This was part of U.S.'s Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which requires companies to disclose if they "knowingly engaged in certain specified activities involving contacts with or support for Iran or other identified persons involved in terrorism"

The U.S. is considering measures to restrict Iranian diplomats' movement in New York during the UN General Assembly by barring access to wholesale clubs such as Costco and Sam's Club without State Department permission. The State Department may also impose terms and conditions on store memberships for all foreign diplomats. Wholesale stores are commonly used by Iranian diplomats to purchase bulk items unavailable in Iran. Longstanding U.S. sanctions limit Iranian access to many consumer goods. A precedent exists from 2013 when Costco barred Iranian embassy workers in Japan and the U.K. under the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012.

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