Beijing and Moscow Urge Lifting of All Sanctions in Joint Statement With Iran
By The Media Line Staff
China and Russia openly backed Iran on Friday, insisting that any renewed nuclear dialogue must be grounded in “mutual respect” and a complete lifting of sanctions, a position that challenges recent calls by the United States for immediate talks.
Following a trilateral meeting in Beijing, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu joined Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi in issuing a joint statement affirming Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear development. “(China, Russia and Iran) emphasized that the relevant parties should be committed to addressing the root cause of the current situation and abandoning sanction, pressure, or threat of force,” Ma told reporters. He added that the three countries agreed on the necessity of terminating all “unlawful” unilateral sanctions, a clear reference to US restrictions.
In 2015, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, secured with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany. However, in 2018 President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement. The dispute resurfaced when Trump recently sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing nuclear talks and warning that “Iran can be handled militarily, or you make a deal.”
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed what he described as US “orders” to talk, saying Tehran would not negotiate while under threats. The situation escalated further this week after six of the 15 United Nations Security Council members—among them the US and Britain—held a closed-door session focusing on Iran’s nuclear progress. In response, Tehran condemned the meeting as a “misuse” of the Council’s authority.
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