Member of group who seized American hostages in 1979 now a diplomat . Hamid Aboutalebi serves as Iran 's next ambassador to the United States . The State Department has not responded to his visa application . With no formal relations between the United States and Iran , the Iranian mission to the United Nations is Tehran 's only diplomatic operation in the United States and has played a role in facilitating unofficial exchanges of messages between the two nations . He 's a veteran diplomat who has served in posts in Europe .
Member of group who seized American hostages in 1979 now a diplomat . Hamid Aboutalebi serves as Iran 's next ambassador to the United States . The State Department has not responded to his visa application . He 's a veteran diplomat who has served in posts in Europe .