'Made in error': Mamdani calls aide’s Iran ambassador meeting a mistake as GOP demands answers

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sought to distance himself from a planned meeting between one of his senior officials and Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations after the gathering was canceled following reported intervention by the US State Department.

Mamdani said he had no prior knowledge of the proposed meeting and described it as an administrative error. The planned meeting involved Ana Maria Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, and Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani. The meeting ultimately did not take place.

Mamdani calls proposed Iran ambassador meeting an error

Mamdani said he became aware of the planned meeting only after receiving questions from the media.

"That meeting did not take place, it will not take place, and I did not know about it until there was a press inquiry regarding it," Mamdani said.

The mayor said the Office for International Affairs regularly interacts with international representatives because New York City hosts the United Nations. However, he stressed that the office’s work is focused on city matters and does not involve foreign policy.

"The work of our commissioner and our International Affairs Office, it's to ensure that as we are a city of the world, that we are also there to meet with leaders from across the world. The focus is always on our city and on our relationships."

Mamdani acknowledged that the request should not have advanced through the existing approval process and said his administration was reviewing procedures for future meeting requests.

"The commissioner recognizes that this was made in error, and we're working on a new process in terms of new meeting requests," Mamdani added.

According to officials familiar with the matter, Iranian representatives at the United Nations initiated the request for the meeting. The episode prompted criticism from Republican lawmakers, who questioned why the meeting had been scheduled.

Republicans seek answers over planned Iran meeting

Republican members of the New York City Council sent Archila a letter seeking explanations about the role of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs in arranging the meeting.

The lawmakers argued that the office exists to assist diplomatic missions with local administrative matters and questioned whether setting up meetings with representatives of foreign governments went beyond its responsibilities.

A State Department official also criticized the planned engagement, saying, "It is unconscionable that a New York City official would even consider meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to the UN, a man who consistently works to undermine US interests and whitewash his regime's crimes against the United States."

The reported intervention marked the second recent instance in which the Trump administration objected to planned contacts between the Mamdani administration and foreign officials.

Earlier this year, a proposed meeting between Mamdani and Colombian President Gustavo Petro was also reportedly canceled following objections from the State Department.

The latest controversy unfolded as relations between Washington and Tehran remained under heightened scrutiny following recent military exchanges and ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Iran.