# Is the US wrong to ban the Iranian UN ambassador from entering the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920 "2014-04-12T05:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/181 "2014-04-22T17:51:37Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Let him in the country, but let it be known that any vehicle belonging to the Iranian consulate that is parked illegally is subject to ticketing, towing and cubing. Is it about my cube? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/182 "2014-04-22T18:05:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I hope you don’t lose your bet. Testosterone poisoning doesn’t sound very pleasant. What do you get if you win? A better spell checker. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/183 "2014-04-24T11:53:38Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Ignoring whether it is morally right to do this, it’s stupid. Unless you think the man is personally going to commit espionage or something like that, there’s no point in cutting off lines of communication like this. I think that the government is being a collective prick about it, but, in re the espionage thing: isn’t that 80% of what all ambassadors do?? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/184 "2014-04-24T13:12:33Z")
80% of consulates and embassies probably have spies on staff, but ambassadors _themselves_ generally don’t do those things. Ambassadors are either political appointees or career foreign service types, neither of whom are usually much good at the cloak-and-dagger stuff. Can you imagine Dan Rooney negotiating for secret weapons blueprints? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/185 "2014-04-24T14:36:42Z")
Ambassadors are typically just wealthy donors, businessmen, long term political activists etc who haven’t made any real enemies and get the pleasant sinecure of an Ambassadorship at some point. It’s also a job given to former politicians who helped a President get elected but who the President couldn’t make room for in the Cabinet and who would have been offended by a non-cabinet level position. Their job is to shake hands, take pictures, and go to dinners. They’re literally a “good will” generator which is what you expect from an ambassador. State Department lifers are the ones who negotiate the nasty detailed parts of treaties and agreements and massage relations in various ways, and then when things require more high level interaction the Sec State and the respective foreign minister from the country in question will usually meet to finalize things. An Ambassador’s overriding function is not to get in trouble or do anything objectionable. Embassies are definitely “dens of spies” and always have been, but usually (for the U.S. at least) there is a station chief posted at the embassy with some cover job who runs the spying out of the embassy, the Ambassador will have very little to do with it by design. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/186 "2014-04-25T00:05:11Z")
I know that one of our senators (Philippines) is not allowed entry into the US since he is classified a dangerous individual. That right honorable fvcker instigated several unsuccessful coup attempts in the Philippines. Too many stupid voters is one of our main problems. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/187 "2014-04-25T01:26:21Z")
This reminds me of a funny headline when Aldrich Ames was uncovered. “There may be spies in the CIA”! ORLY? You think? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/188 "2014-04-25T01:28:59Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I know that one of our senators (Philippines) is not allowed entry into the US since he is classified a dangerous individual. That right honorable fvcker instigated several unsuccessful coup attempts in the Philippines. Too many stupid voters is one of our main problems. Iran sympathizes, which is why they pretty much did away with the whole “free election” thing. Can’t let the wrong lizard get in, after all. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920/189 "2014-04-25T09:21:24Z")
^ Well maybe they should let him come to the US. After all, he was successful in only one coup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-wrong-to-ban-the-iranian-un-ambassador-from-entering-the-usa/685920.md?page=9)