OREANDA-NEWS. On Monday, the United States refused to issue a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, who was about to leave for a meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled for Thursday. This was reported with reference to an American official by the American News Agency.

According to the media, this decision followed an increase in tension between the two countries after Kassem Suleimani, the commander of the special forces of Al-Quds of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed as a result of a US strike in the Baghdad airport area. The situation in the Middle East sharply worsened after the death of Suleimani. Tehran promised the United States a tough response and began to reduce the implementation of its obligations under the nuclear deal.

The actions of the Americans, who have been attacking Shiite groups in Iraq since December 29, have criticized the Iraqi authorities and the legitimacy of the actions of the coalition led by Washington. On January 5, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution demanding the complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country. US President Donald Trump refused to do so, threatening Iraq with "unprecedented sanctions".