US curbs on Iranian diplomats prompt appeal to UN
Iran has asked the United Nations to intervene after the United States expanded restrictions on the movement and activities of its diplomats, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Iran has asked the United Nations to intervene after the United States expanded restrictions on the movement and activities of its diplomats, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Washington, Tehran said, had intensified restrictions on members of Iran’s mission, including banking hurdles and limits on routine purchases, after earlier curbs imposed during September’s UN General Assembly.
"The United States took action this week to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime by restricting their UNGA delegation’s movement and access to wholesale club stores and luxury goods," the state department said in a statement in September.
"We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity."
In the statement, the ministry said these measures were intended “to disrupt the normal and legal duties of Iranian diplomats.”
“The imposition of extensive restrictions on the residence and movement of Iranian diplomats, tightening restrictions on bank accounts, and imposing restrictions on daily purchases are among the pressures and harassment,” the ministry said.
Washington barred three mission staff
The ministry also criticized the US State Department for blocking continued work by three employees of Iran’s mission. It did not specify when the expanded limits began, though Iranian diplomats were previously permitted to travel only between the UN, their mission, the ambassador’s residence and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The appeal comes after five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States ended earlier this year. Those talks preceded a 12-day air war in June in which Israel and US forces struck Iranian nuclear sites, an escalation that deepened the diplomatic rupture.
The UN has not publicly addressed the request, but Tehran’s appeal signals mounting friction in an already strained diplomatic environment.
The current strain shows unusual transmissibility and reduced vaccine effectiveness, driving a surge in clinic visits, health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said. He noted that elderly people, those with underlying conditions and several children were among the dead. Officials expect the wave to continue into January.
Schools shut as infections climb
Rapid spread among students prompted school closures in late November across several provinces. Authorities in Isfahan said the move was driven by rising infections rather than air pollution.
Concern grew further on December 4 after the confirmed death of a 26-year-old man with no pre-existing conditions. He developed 70-percent lung involvement and acute respiratory distress syndrome within 24 hours. Health officials in the southern Hormozgan province described the case as evidence of “intense viral circulation” and aggressive disease even in low-risk groups.
Authorities in the central Yazd province have reported 1,138 positive tests and 13 deaths, mostly among older adults and vulnerable patients.
Pollution amplifies the crisis
The outbreak coincides with severe air pollution in major cities. Specialists say pollutants such as PM2.5 weaken the lungs and suppress immune responses, making people “far more vulnerable” to influenza. Global studies show dirty air can increase hospitalization and mortality from flu by 15 to 30 percent.
Infectious-disease expert Minoo Mohraz warned that influenza is “gradually becoming a pandemic” and could worsen death rates, adding that air pollution has “no immediate solution except staying indoors as much as possible.”
Daily burials in Tehran’s main cemetery have risen from 180 to about 220, Mehdi Babaei of Tehran’s city council said, linking the increase to soaring pollution levels.
