Iranian Diplomats New York

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.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York on Tuesday to discuss implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and ways Tehran can use its influence to end Syria's civil war, officials said.

President Barack Obama said today the United States was ready to engage diplomatically with longtime foe Iran but put the onus on the new Iranian president to prove he is serious about pursuing a nuclear deal.

A senior Iranian diplomat linked to Iran's reformists, who has been detained at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison for three months, has been denied access to his attorney for the entire time, sources familiar with the case told Reuters on Monday.

Iran blamed on Thursday "a terrorist sect" for accosting a senior Iranian diplomat in New York and condemned the United States for deciding to remove the group, the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK), from a U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

European countries have taken their boldest step so far in the increasingly tense standoff with Iran over its nuclear program, agreeing in principle to impose an embargo on Iranian oil, French and European diplomats said on Wednesday.

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.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York on Tuesday to discuss implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and ways Tehran can use its influence to end Syria's civil war, officials said.

President Barack Obama said today the United States was ready to engage diplomatically with longtime foe Iran but put the onus on the new Iranian president to prove he is serious about pursuing a nuclear deal.

A senior Iranian diplomat linked to Iran's reformists, who has been detained at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison for three months, has been denied access to his attorney for the entire time, sources familiar with the case told Reuters on Monday.

Iran blamed on Thursday "a terrorist sect" for accosting a senior Iranian diplomat in New York and condemned the United States for deciding to remove the group, the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK), from a U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.

European countries have taken their boldest step so far in the increasingly tense standoff with Iran over its nuclear program, agreeing in principle to impose an embargo on Iranian oil, French and European diplomats said on Wednesday.