China: China called on Thursday for a “diplomatic” solution to the Iran nuclear problem as it prepared to sponsor officials from Tehran and Moscow for deals.
The United States withdrew from a location offer, which had imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions comfort, during President Donald Trump’s first name.
Tehran adhered to the 2015 offer for a month after Washington’s removal but then began rolling up its commitments.
Efforts to resurrect the alliance have since faltered.
Beijing is set to sponsor Russia and Iran, both important political companions, on Friday for multilateral talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
” In the current situation, we believe that all factions should maintain calm and caution to avoid escalating the Iran nuclear position, or even walking towards fight and conflict”, foreign department spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular lecture.
The meeting will be attended by China’s vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov and Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Beijing has said.
Iran’s foreign ministry has said the meeting would focus on “developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions”.
No details about the timing of the meeting have been shared.
However, Beijing has said the talks would aim to” strengthen communication and coordination, to resume dialogue and negotiation at an early time”.
” China sincerely hopes that all parties can work together, continuously increase mutual trust and dispel misgivings, and turn the momentum of restarting dialogue and negotiation into reality at an early date”, Mao said.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has called for a new nuclear deal with Tehran while reinstating his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions.
Iran has officially ruled out direct talks as long as sanctions remain, with President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing on Tuesday that his country” will not bow in humiliation to anyone”.
Trump said last week he had sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.
A quarterly report by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) in February said Iran had significantly increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, a short step from the 90 per cent needed to make a nuclear weapon.
