China to Host Iran-Russia Nuclear Talks as US Pressure Mounts on Tehran
As the United States increases pressure on Iran to negotiate a new deal on its nuclear program, China has announced it will host trilateral talks with Russia and Iran this week to discuss the issue, Al Jazeera reports.
The meeting, scheduled for Friday in Beijing, comes amidst heightened international scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear activities.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the meeting will focus on the “nuclear issue,” with Iran and Russia sending their respective deputy foreign ministers. An Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman confirmed the talks would address “developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.”
The discussions are taking place against a backdrop of escalating tension, fueled by renewed US efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The US has been urging Tehran to agree to a new deal that would prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran and Russia have seen closer ties since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, signing a strategic cooperation treaty in January. Both countries have maintained cordial relations with China.
Last week, Russia disclosed that its Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Ryabkov, had discussed international efforts to address Iran’s nuclear program with Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali, following reports suggesting Russia had agreed to assist the Trump administration in communicating with Iran.
Tehran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 landmark nuclear deal between Iran and leading world powers, which imposed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. He then implemented a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
Despite reinstating sanctions and at times threatening military action, President Trump has since expressed openness to a new deal with Tehran, which would require backing from both Beijing and Moscow.
Iran has so far rejected direct talks while sanctions remain in place. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Tuesday that Iran “will not bow in humiliation to anyone.”
Last Friday, President Trump reportedly sent a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging negotiations and warning of potential military action. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that a representative from the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Mohammed Gargash, was scheduled to deliver the letter to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday.
Prior to the meeting in Beijing, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held a closed-door session in New York on Wednesday regarding Iran’s expanding uranium stockpile.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s atomic watchdog, has warned that Iran has been “dramatically” accelerating uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity, inching closer to the 90 percent weapons-grade level.
France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the US requested the UNSC meeting, urging the council to compel Iran to fulfill its obligation to provide information on its nuclear program.
Iran reached a comprehensive nuclear deal with the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the US in 2015. The deal lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. However, since Washington withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran has gradually moved away from its international commitments.
