UN Urges US to Lift Sanctions on Tehran  

The United Nations called on the United States to lift or waive its sanctions against Iran as outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal, and to extend the waivers regarding the trade in oil with the country.
UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo made the remarks in an address to a Security Council meeting on Monday on the implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorses the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
She said restoring the JCPOA, which was abandoned by the US in 2018, remains crucial to assuring the international community of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and to allow the country to reach its full economic potential, according to the website of the world body.
“The agreement on the plan and its endorsement by the Council demonstrated a unity of purpose among its participants. Both the plan and the resolution support our common objectives of nuclear non-proliferation and regional security, in a manner that delivers tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people,” she stressed.
She expressed regret that no agreement has been reached on reviving the nuclear deal despite the “tireless efforts” of JCPOA participants since April 2021 to resolve the remaining differences.
The UN official emphasized that lasting peace and security for all member states depend on dialogue and cooperation, saying, “We encourage all parties and the United States to resume their efforts to resolve the outstanding issues lest the gains achieved by the plan after years of painstaking efforts be completely lost.”

Shrinking Space 

Pointing to the “shrinking” space for diplomacy, the senior UN official said since the last meeting of the Security Council on Iran’s nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported on the Islamic Republic’s intention to install new centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility and to produce more uranium enriched up to 60% at the nuclear site.
Iran in November started enriching uranium to the purity level of 60% at its Fordow nuclear facility after it officially informed the IAEA of its decision.
Tehran said the move was a strong message to the latest anti-Iran resolution passed by the IAEA’s Board of Governors, which criticized the country for what it called a lack of cooperation with the agency. 
In addition, DiCarlo said the IAEA has reiterated that Iran’s decision to cease implementation of its JCPOA nuclear-related commitments has affected its safeguards activities and once again called on Iran to reverse the steps it has taken since July 2019. 
In May 2019, a year after the US withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran started to take “remedial measures” by reducing its commitments under the JCPOA.
DiCarlo also said the UN has received letters from Ukraine, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States concerning the alleged transfers of unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran to Russia to be used in the war in Ukraine and noted that the five countries asked that an inspection be conducted.
“The Secretariat is examining the available information, and any findings will be reported to the Council, as appropriate, in due course,” she said.