TEHRAN - The U.S. State Department has refused to give permission to Iranian Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian, to travel to the northwestern Oregon state, where he was scheduled to make a speech at the Portland University.

The Iran diplomat had been invited by the World Affairs Council of Oregon to also participate at a 'question and answer' session on the Iranian foreign policy.

Political observers believe that such move taken by Washington is another proof of its hostility towards Tehran. Of course, it is not the first time the U.S. takes such measures against Iran since it had, for several times in the past years, blocked the entry of Iranian political, cultural and sports figures to U.S.

In a hostile and impudent move, many of these Iranian respected personalities have been told to provide the U.S. airports with their fingerprints while they were invited by American organizations and officials to take part in seminars and cultural and sports events in the U.S.

On the other hand, the U.S. statesmen are afraid of any contact between such Iranian figures and any speech to be delivered by them to American people, because this would reveal realities tarnished by Washington and would expose the satanic nature of the U.S.

Following refusal to provide Nejad-Hosseinian with entry permission, the State Department has not said why it had denied the permission. The refusal is the third in the past two months by the State Department, which has prevented Nejad-Hosseinian to visit Washington, D.C., and San Diego.

Before that, the Iranian diplomat had been authorized to participate at the forums held by the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles and Montana.

UN representatives of the UK, European Union countries, India, Brazil, Spain and Indonesia have already been given permission to attend the council's sessions this year.

The coordinator of the World Affairs Council's programs, Michael Carnahan, has regretted the State Department's step, saying the refusal was the first in the past nine years.

The State Department requires UN representatives of countries, deemed hostile to the United States, to obtain special permission to travel to areas 40km from the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The U.S. Senate last Thursday moved to bar nationals from several countries, including Iran, and tighten control over foreign students in the United States.

Tehran denounced the move as "contrary to the spirit of cooperation among nations to expand mutual scientific and cultural ties."

Iran has had no diplomatic relations with the U.S. which severed its ties after the 'students following the Imam's path' stormed the American Embassy in Tehran, known as 'den of spies', in 1979 and took its staff hostage for 444 days.

The U.S. self-centered policies and its propensity to act as it wishes has provoked an international frustration, notably among its European allies, leading to blunt criticisms.