Guterres urges US to remove Iran sanctions

GENEVA (Reuters): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to US President Joe Biden’s administration to lift or waive all sanctions on Iran as agreed under a 2015 deal aimed at stopping Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
In a report to the UN Security Council, Guterres also urged the US to “extend the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and fully renew waivers for nuclear non-proliferation projects.”
“I appeal to the US to lift or waive its sanctions outlined in the plan,” said Gut-erres, who also appealed to Iran to return to full implementation of the deal.
The 15-member council discussed on Wednesday the secretary-general’s biannual report on the implementation of a 2015 resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal between Iran, the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.
Guterres’ appeal to Washington comes amid talks to revive the deal – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – under which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for a lifting of many foreign sanctions against it.
“The last few rounds of discussions in Vienna have helped to crystallize the choices that need to be made by Iran and by the US in order achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA,” deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations, Jeffrey DeLaur-entis, told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The European Union is coordinating the Vienna talks and EU Ambassador to the UN, Olof Skoog, told the Security Council the EU was encouraged the US had “expressed readiness” to lift sanctions tied to the nuclear deal.