WASHINGTON — Iran would be blocked from sending to the UN an ambassador involved in the 1979 US hostage crisis, under legislation that cleared the Senate Monday night in a rare bipartisan agreement.
The bill, sponsored by Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), got a “strange bedfellows” boost when Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) signed on to it.
The measure aims to block Iran from sending Hamid Aboutalebi to the UN, decades after he was involved with the student group that seized the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Schumer called Aboutalebi a major backer of the crisis. Former hostage Barry Rosen said it would be “like spitting on us” if Aboutalebi were able to come to the United Nations.
The Senate passed the legislation by unanimous consent.
“We should not further aggravate the pain of the individuals and families who suffered through the hostage crisis by allowing this individual to have a visa and diplomatic immunity within the United States,” Schumer said.