China Beijing, Tehran and Moscow call for end to Iran sanctions
China, Russia and Iran are calling for an end to "all unilateral illegal sanctions" against Tehran in the tense situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.
14.03.2025, 09:51
SDA
The three countries also emphasized that "relevant parties" should make efforts to eliminate the causes of the current situation, as reported by Chinese state television after a meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of the three countries in Beijing.
According to the report, Beijing and Moscow welcomed Tehran's assertion of the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and its refusal to seek to develop nuclear weapons.
China hopes for negotiations
The host, China, had stated in advance that in the current situation all sides involved should remain calm and avoid escalation. China hopes that negotiations can take place as soon as possible, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
The dispute over Iran's nuclear program has recently come to a head. Tehran has long claimed that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes - however, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the country has greatly accelerated the production of uranium that is almost suitable for nuclear weapons in recent months. Recently, there have also been repeated statements from politicians in Iran, particularly in connection with the conflict with arch-enemy Israel, that they should perhaps build a nuclear weapon after all.
According to the New York Times, US President Donald Trump indicated last week that Iran's nuclear capabilities had reached a critical point. According to his own account, he wrote a letter to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he offered to resume negotiations on the country's rapidly advancing nuclear program. At the same time, he warned that the country would have to decide to restrict the program or risk a military attack. To increase the pressure, the USA imposed further sanctions on Thursday, including against Oil Minister Mohsen Paknedjad.
Mixed signals from Tehran
Khamenei has so far rejected negotiations with the USA, but mixed signals have come from the country's government. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, for example, told the state-run daily newspaper "Iran" on Thursday that his country was considering holding indirect nuclear negotiations with the US government. These are conceivable in a neutral country like Oman. Oman has already mediated between the two hostile states on several occasions in the past.
Iran is in a serious financial crisis due to the sanctions. According to observers, a resumption of nuclear negotiations and the associated hope of lifting the sanctions is the only way out. Iran's government is therefore increasingly relying on Russia and China in its dispute with the West, as relations with previous mediating states in Europe are too strained.
