Lawmakers asked the Justice Department to determine whether New York City officials violated the Logan Act by arranging an unauthorized meeting with Iran’s U.N. ambassador during a period of active U.S.-Iran tensions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A group of House Republicans is asking the Justice Department to investigate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration over a proposed meeting between a senior city official and Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, arguing that the contact may have violated federal law governing unauthorized diplomacy.
Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., led the request, which was sent Thursday morning to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche after reports emerged that Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had arranged a July 7 meeting with Iranian Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani.
The lawmakers’ concerns and request for an investigation were detailed in a Breitbart News report.
“We write with concern about the recent actions of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Administration,” McDowell wrote in the letter to Blanche. “Last week, media outlets began to report Commissioner Ana María Archila, the head of the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had scheduled a July 7 meeting with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani.”
The letter was also signed by Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Earl Carter of Georgia, Pat Fallon of Texas, Randy Fine of Florida, Clay Fuller of Georgia, Pat Harrigan of North Carolina, Wesley Hunt of Texas, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Richard McCormick of Georgia, Max Miller of Ohio, Riley Moore of West Virginia, Pete Sessions of Texas and Claudia Tenney of New York.
Archila and two other senior officials from the international affairs office were scheduled to meet with Iravani at 11 a.m. July 7, according to screenshots of a calendar invitation obtained by City Journal.
City Journal reported that sources connected to the international affairs community and Archila’s office confirmed the meeting had been scheduled.
A State Department official also confirmed the proposed meeting, which was canceled after federal officials learned about it and confronted the Mamdani administration.
The reason for the proposed discussion has not been publicly disclosed.
State Department officials reportedly had to “clarify acceptable conduct” with members of Mamdani’s administration. City Journal also reported that Archila had not informed Mamdani about the proposed meeting and was reprimanded by the mayor’s office.
“As you know, negotiations with Iran are in a critical stage,” the congressional letter stated. “Given its timing, we believe this proposed meeting may have presented significant national security risks.”
The lawmakers asked the Justice Department to examine whether the conduct violated the Logan Act, a federal law prohibiting private U.S. citizens from engaging in unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments involved in disputes with the United States.
“Mayor Mamdani’s and Commissioner Archila’s actions create a clear conflict of interest with the United States’ strategic military actions in Iran and across the Middle East, warranting further examination by the Department,” the lawmakers wrote.
They also expressed support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect American economic and national security interests in the Middle East.
“… [W]e understand the vulnerable nature of continued peace negotiations,” the letter continued. “For that reason, we believe that a formal investigation is necessary to determine whether Commissioner Archila, acting on behalf of Mayor Mamdani, engaged in any unlawful activity or communication with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs told City Journal that the proposed discussion had been canceled.
“This meeting did not and will not take place,” the spokesperson said.
Mamdani addressed the controversy during an unrelated news conference, saying the proposed meeting followed a request received by the international affairs office and did not originate within the administration.
The proposed contact resulted from a “request that came in” to the office, “not one that originated from the office,” Mamdani said, according to The New York Times.
Mamdani said his administration was developing updated procedures for handling future meeting requests.
The State Department said in a Friday statement that it was “unconscionable” for a New York City official to consider meeting with Iran’s ambassador under the circumstances and welcomed the cancellation.
McDowell said the proposed meeting risked interfering with U.S. foreign policy during a sensitive period.
“Undermining national security has serious risks, and the Mayor of New York should know better than to meddle in our foreign affairs during the height of negotiations between the White House and Iran,” McDowell said.
“The Department of Justice needs to look into Mamdani’s office and ensure they are not acting as rogue agents to the detriment of America’s national security,” he continued. “Mamdani does not speak for America. President Trump earned the public’s trust to ensure the safety and security of the United States.”
Archila, who joined the Mamdani administration in February, previously worked as a progressive political activist and organizer.
She drew national attention in 2018 after confronting then-Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., in an elevator over his support for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, an incident covered at the time by Breitbart News.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., later invited Archila to attend Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address as her guest.
Before her city appointment, Archila served as co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, an organization funded in part by George Soros-linked interests. She also previously worked as co-director of the Working Families Party and co-founded and led progressive organizations including Make the Road New York.
The Justice Department has not announced whether it will open an investigation.
The lawmakers’ request asks federal officials to determine whether Archila or other members of Mamdani’s administration communicated unlawfully with Iranian representatives or attempted to conduct diplomacy outside the authority of the federal government.
Because the meeting was canceled, the inquiry would likely focus on how it was arranged, what subjects were expected to be discussed, whether any communications occurred before the scheduled date and whether city officials acted on behalf of the mayor.
The controversy also raises broader questions about the limits of municipal officials’ international engagement when foreign governments are involved in active disputes or negotiations with the United States.
House Republicans argue that the timing, Iran’s relationship with Washington and the absence of State Department authorization justify a formal review. Mamdani’s office maintains that the request originated outside the administration and that the meeting never occurred.
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