The United States said Thursday it was easing draconian restrictions imposed by Donald Trump's administration on movements of Iranian diplomats accredited at the United Nations, headquartered in New York City, as part of a bid to reduce tensions.
"The idea here is to take steps to remove unnecessary obstacles to multilateral diplomacy by amending the restrictions on domestic travel. Those had been extremely restrictive," a State Department official told reporters.
As part of his maximum pressure campaign on Iran, Trump in 2019 barred Iranian diplomats from all but a few blocks around the United Nations and their mission.
In late December 209, the Iranian delegation headed by President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif faced illegal restrictions by the US administration while in New York to attend the 74th UN General Assembly session in the American city of New York.
Zarif said at the time he could not even visit Iran's ambassador to the United Nation in hospital in New York due to the US restrictions.
HJ/FNA13991201000011/ PR