Iran has named Hamid Aboutalebi as its new ambassador to the U.N., according to a Bloomberg report.
While Aboutalebi served as Iran’s ambassador to Italy and Belgium, he’s most famous for being one of militants that held 52 Americans hostage in Tehran for 444 days in 1979.
Iran has applied for a visa for Aboutalebi, so he can enter the US to serve in the UN. UN requirements obligate the US to provide him with a visa.
With President Obama trying to build a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, some would say this appointment, and the visa request, is a slap in the face of the American people.