China, Russia and Iran engaged in in-depth discussions on the latest state of play with regard to nuclear issue and sanctions lifting. Representatives of Iran, Russia and China have urged United States President Donald Trump’s administration to put an end to “all unlawful unilateral sanctions” following talks on Tehran’s nuclear program on Friday in Beijing.
The three countries reiterated in a joint statement that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard.
The talks are the latest attempt to resolve the Iran impasse with the United States and any progress on the Iran talks with the Trump administration requires the support of Russia and China.
Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran, mirroring his approach during his first term.
Washington upped its pressure campaign last week by imposing sanctions on Iran’s Minister of Petroleum, Mohsen Paknejad, on the “shadow fleet” and on many other vessels, including several entities which serve as the owners, operators or managers of the vessels designated.
The US Treasury Department blacklisted the owners or operators of vessels it said were engaged in transporting Iranian oil to China.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, described the US Treasury’s move to impose sanctions on the minister of petroleum as “disgraceful and contrary to all standards and norms of international law.”
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said in a regular press conference on Friday that sanction, pressuring and threat of force lead nowhere, whereas dialogue and consultation provide the right way forward. “We call on parties to step up communication and dialogue and accumulate enabling conditions for talks and negotiations to resume at an early date.”
The Beijing meeting between China, Russia and Iran, which was held on March 14, was chaired by the deputy foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu of China, with the participation of the deputy foreign minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich of Russia and the deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi of Iran.
China and Russia welcomed Iran’s reiteration that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes and not for the development of nuclear weapons.
Following the meeting, the three nations called on relevant parties “to avoid actions that escalate the situation and jointly create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for diplomatic efforts.”
The Iranian nuclear issue is facing a serious situation and once again at a crossroads. Iran insists that its nuclear program is “entirely peaceful.”
“China and Russia welcomed Iran’s reiteration that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes and that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and supported Iran in continuing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and stressed the need to respect Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy,” Mao Ning noted in the press conference.
Both China and Russia are united in “not wanting to see Iran weaponize its nuclear program and trying to diplomatically look for a solution.”
During the talks Friday, all three countries “reiterated the importance of upholding the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of international non-proliferation regime,” according to the Chinese readout.
China made a five-point proposition on the Iranian nuclear issue according to which Iran should continue honoring its commitment to not developing nuclear weapons, and all other parties should fully respect Iran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy as a state party to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT).
Iran and Russia commended China for its constructive role and hosting the Beijing meeting. The three countries agreed to continue their close consultation and cooperation in the future.
The three countries also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and agreed to maintain and strengthen their coordination in international organizations and multilateral arrangements such as BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
