A former US diplomat held hostage in Iran has called the presence of the Iranian president's delegation for the UN General Assembly in New York a lavish escape while Iran grapples with severe domestic crises.
“This is a great vacation for them, believe me. They love this—they can get out of Iran, relax, have a great meal, and see things they couldn't see in Iran. So, this is an excuse to get out,” Barry Rosen, senior advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Iran International.
Staying at the Millennium Hilton, the visit is costing over $1,000 per night for each member of Masoud Pezeshkian's 40-person delegation, including his family, Rosen remarked that "the larger the delegation, the better time they have."
He further suggested that the group seems detached from the ongoing crises in Iran, where "the economy's in shambles, there's a water crisis, an electricity crisis, every possible crisis, and most of all, a human rights crisis."
Criticizing the issuance of visas for Pezeshkian and his delegation, Rosen recalled a previous instance when he had successfully opposed the appointment of a UN ambassador, saying, "Years ago, I complained against the attempt to bring in a UN ambassador by the name of Aboutalebi, and he was stopped."
However, Rosen acknowledged that diplomatic protocol is difficult to challenge, stating that while the delegation is technically present "legally," he personally does not view them as such.
In 2014, the White House refused to issue a US visa to Iran's nominee for UN ambassador, Hamid Aboutalebi, due to his involvement in the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, during which Barry Rosen and dozens of others were taken hostage.
The decision effectively barred Aboutalebi from assuming his position at the United Nations in New York, the official linked to the student group that orchestrated the embassy takeover.
On November 4, 1979, a group of radical students loyal to Ayatollah Khomeini stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, seizing American hostages for 444 days. Taking place in the chaotic aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy, the crisis deeply strained US-Iranian relations, leaving a lasting impact for years to come.
Recalling the day of the hostage crisis, Rosen said, "We were taken hostage around 10 o'clock in the morning. It was raining, and before I knew it, several hundred people had scaled the walls and burst into my office. They told me, 'You're a member of the nest of spies.'"
To this day, the Islamic Republic refers to the former US embassy in Iran, now defunct, as the "nest of spies." He went on to describe the ordeal: "They put me in handcuffs, threw me into the kitchen of the ambassador's residence, and from that point, I was interrogated, beaten, and tied up.
"As I lay on the floor, I heard Imam Khomeini say that taking Americans as hostages was the right thing to do. At that moment, I realized I was in serious trouble for a long time."
Explaining that his initial trip to Iran was as part of the Peace Corps, a US government program that trains and deploys volunteers for international development assistance, Rosen recounted how he later became a press attaché, working alongside American Ambassador William H. Sullivan. His role was to inform both Iranian journalists and the international press about the events unfolding during the Iranian Revolution.
Reflecting on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody, which sparked months of protests across Iran in 2022, Rosen emphasized the resilience of Iranian women, calling them "the valiant heroes of Iran." He remarked on the severe punishment that women have endured over the past two years.
"There are so many people still going through the jails, being punished, with death penalties being carried out and hangings happening all over the place," Rosen added. "This regime has a lot to answer for."
The drills are being held at a base 110 km (68 miles) south of the capital Tehran and come at a time of heightened tension across the region, the source added, particularly in Lebanon where Israeli air strikes have killed nearly 600 people in a single day.
Due to the sensitivity of the matter, the source spoke to Iran International on condition of anonymity.
The Shaheed Shabani facility has regularly hosted training sessions for Iran’s allied armed groups in the region, including Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Over the past decade, this base has become a hub for training aimed at strengthening what Iran calls the Axis of Resistance, a transnational network of armed Islamists dedicated to confronting Israel and the United States.
This latest drill appears to be part of a broader effort by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to prepare its regional allies for potential future operations.
It is focused on “ground assaults, building seizures, and hostage-taking tactics ... (and) guerrilla warfare techniques, bomb-making, and advanced weapons use,” according to the source speaking to Iran International on condition of anonymity.
Multiple such exercises have been held over the past year inside Iran, the source said. Those participating in the trainings arrive from Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria.
Some stay longer than others, getting additional, specialized instructions on the assembly and operation of advanced weaponry, the source added
Earlier this year, the Daily Telegraph reported that Yemen's Houthis were trained at Khamenei Academy of Naval Sciences and Technology in Ziba Kenar on the Caspian coastline north of Iran.
Another site was on Farur Island, a small, uninhabited island in the Persian Gulf controlled by the IRGC's naval forces, the Telegraph report alleged.
Iran’s continued investment in training its regional allies has raised alarm among neighboring countries and Western powers who view these forces as central to Tehran’s strategy of extending its influence in the Middle East.
The Islamic Republic says its actions are part of a defensive strategy to counter threats from Israel and the West.