Mike Waltz, the United States representative to the United Nations, announced in an official statement the addition of Elham (Eli) Kohnan to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations as a senior policy adviser. Born in Tehran and raised in New York, Kohnan immigrated from Iran with her family in 1978, following the Islamic Revolution and the intensification of harassment of the Jewish community. The U.S. ambassador Mike Waltz praised the appointment, saying: “Eli’s story is an American story. Her family fled persecution in Iran and built a new life in New York. She has devoted her entire professional career to serving America, fighting for freedom, and exposing antisemitism; this is precisely the belief and courage we need at the United Nations.” According to Waltz, hardly anyone knows the Iranian regime like this woman of Iranian descent. Having full command of both Persian and Hebrew, Kohnan worked in the first Trump administration as deputy to the U.S. special envoy responsible for monitoring and combating antisemitism at the U.S. Department of State, and was the first Iran-born envoy in the history of this ministry. She also played a key role in the Abraham Accords in shaping diplomatic partnerships with Arab countries, and prior to the new appointment, she was a member of the Trump-Vance transition team in the areas of national security and the U.S. Department of State.