A senior official in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration attempted to sidestep the federal government by scheduling a meeting with Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations. The meeting was ultimately canceled following intervention by the U.S. State Department.
Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, was listed on a calendar invitation to meet Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, on July 7, according to a report from City Journal.
Two other senior officials from the mayor’s Office for International Affairs were also scheduled to attend. Details on the meeting and its agenda were not made publicly available by the mayor’s office.
The planned engagement came to light through reporting from City Journal, which reviewed screenshots of the calendar invitation. The report was corroborated by sources familiar with the international affairs community and Archila’s office, while a State Department official also confirmed awareness of the scheduled meeting.
The U.S. State Department, which had not been notified in advance, intervened to stop the planned engagement. Officials from the department met with representatives of the Mamdani administration to clarify acceptable conduct, and the meeting was ultimately canceled not long after.
“This meeting did not and will not take place,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s Office for International Affairs said in a statement.
A State Department spokesperson also issued a comment on the matter while speaking with Fox News. “We appreciate the mayor understanding the value of diplomacy, and for his decision to cancel this meeting. It is unconscionable that a New York City official would even consider meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to the U.N., a man who consistently works to undermine U.S. interests and whitewash his regime’s crimes against the United States, our allies, and Iran’s own citizens,” they said.
New York City’s Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office CANCELED a planned meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations after getting SLAMMED for MEDDLING in foreign affairs that fall squarely under President Trump’s jurisdiction.
New York Post: “Archill’s scheduled… pic.twitter.com/ZXnsrqdYFh
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) July 10, 2026
In addition, Mayor Zohran Mamdani personally addressed the matter during a press conference. “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,” the mayor told reporters.
Mamdani added that Commissioner Archila had acknowledged the scheduling as an “error” and said the administration was developing a new process for handling meeting requests. He further noted that the request originated from outside the International Affairs Office rather than from within it.
The Mayor’s Office for International Affairs is responsible for promoting New York City’s interests with the diplomatic community, which includes facilitating exchanges of best practices with other cities, and supporting economic and cultural ties. Its activities occur in coordination with federal authorities, particularly the State Department, given New York City’s role as host to the United Nations.
The office does not conduct independent foreign policy, which remains the responsibility of the federal government.
The proposed meeting occurred amid ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran. The United States maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Iran and has pursued sanctions and other measures in response to Iranian actions, including recent missile strikes on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz that followed a period of relative calm.
Federal law and constitutional principles establish that foreign affairs and national security policy are conducted by the federal government. State and local officials are expected to coordinate with federal agencies on matters involving foreign representatives, especially during periods of conflict or tension.
