Iran on Monday urged United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene directly in a row sparked by America's refusal to give Tehran's chosen UN envoy a visa. The spat over Hamid Aboutalebi has undermined a cautious thaw in relations after decades of enmity following the storming of the US embassy in 1979 and the subsequent hostage crisis. "We ask Mr Ban Ki-moon to step in and take the necessary action for resolving this issue," deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the official IRNA news agency. "The foreign ministry fully supports its pick and considers him an efficient, experienced and qualified person for this post and does **t intend to **minate a new person," he said of Aboutalebi, who is a former ambassador to Australia, Italy and Belgium.