The United States has issued visas for Hassan Rouhani, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The spokesman for the Islamic Republic’s mission to the United Nations confirmed that visas have been issued for Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif.

In response to a question about Rouhani’s visa, President Trump stated that whether President Rouhani comes to New York or not is not up to him, but he would allow him to come to New York. He said the UN general assembly is a good opportunity for everyone and he does not want anyone to be left out of that circle and that it all depends on the Iranians.

The hours before the news of the visa was announced, Mohammad Javad Zarif compared himself and Rouhani to Nelson Mandela on Twitter: “Secretary Pompeo tries to dodge US obligation to issue visas for UN delegates by resorting to self-arrogated designations. A history lesson, perhaps, for my novice counterpart: Nelson Mandela was on U.S. Terrorist Watch List until 2008; 15 years after receiving Nobel Peace Prize.”

After the visas were issued, Iranian state-owned media criticized the United States’ delay in issuing the visas as an “act of animosity.”