China, Russia and Iran to discuss nuclear issue in Beijing
China will host discussions with Russia and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing on March 14, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.
China will host discussions with Russia and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing on March 14, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.
Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair the meeting, the ministry confirmed during a regular press conference.
While details of the agenda were not immediately disclosed, the Beijing meeting is expected to focus on potential avenues for reviving diplomatic efforts as the Trump administration has demanded talks for a new deal that would permanently block Tehran's ability to produce nuclear weapons.
The announcement follows remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that Russia has discussed the situation surrounding Iran's nuclear deal with the United States and maintains some contact with European nations on the issue.
"We discussed the situation in the Persian Gulf. We discussed the joint comprehensive action program on the Iran nuclear issue. We are in favor of restoring the original program from which the Americans dropped during the first Trump government. There are some contacts on the European side," Lavrov said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
"What is worrying is that there are some indications that the Americans would like this new deal to be accompanied by political conditions, insisting that there should be some verifiable arrangement for Iran not to support groups in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Syria, anywhere, which I don't think is going to fly," he added.
He said Russia would be in favor of resuming the format which developed the original JCPOA deal endorsed by the Security Council, though recently, the UN's nuclear chief said it was "an empty shell", with little hope of its revival.
Russia and China have close ties with Iran and were signatories of the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement which US President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018 before imposing heavy sanctions on Tehran.
As Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West intensifies, Russia has positioned itself as a key diplomatic actor, proposing talks with Washington.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali last week to discuss international efforts to resolve issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
Moscow has agreed to assist the US in communicating with Iran on various issues, including its nuclear program and support for regional anti-US proxies, according to a Bloomberg report.
Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was also quoted by Iranian domestic media on Wednesday confirming that the trilateral meeting between Iran, China, and Russia at the level of deputy foreign ministers will be held this Friday in Beijing, focusing on developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.
According to Baghaei, discussions will also cover other topics of interest such as trade and economy.
