Senior diplomats from Iran, China and Russia called for an end to US sanctions against Tehran on Friday following talks over Iran's nuclear programme in Beijing, after Tehran rejected negotiations with Washington on the issue.
China has attempted to revive discussions that have been stalled for years following a US withdrawal from a landmark deal struck on Iran's nuclear programme in 2015. Washington has since imposed hard economic sanctions on Tehran to curb its nuclear activities under US President Donald Trump.
Iran, China and Russia “emphasised the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions”, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said in a joint statement from the three countries.
The meeting was also attended by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
“The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard,” Mr Ma said.
They also emphasised the need for all countries not to take actions that could undermine the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the statement.
Iranian state media said the ministers discussed "co-operation and co-ordination at the international level, as well as the latest developments in nuclear negotiations and sanctions-lifting efforts".
A summary of the meeting from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the diplomats "exchanged views on the Iran nuclear issue and other issues of common concern".
Earlier this week, China said it hoped the discussions would "strengthen communication and co-ordination, to resume dialogue and negotiation at an early time".
Friday's talks took place after Iran summoned the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany in protest at a closed-door meeting held by six countries at the UN Security Council on Iran's nuclear activities. The meeting was attended by the US, France, Greece, Panama, South Korea and Britain.
Iran's Foreign Ministry in a post on X accused the countries of "collusion" and "misusing the mechanisms of the UN Security Council".
Tehran said it had been following protocols set by the 2015 nuclear deal, but after Washington's withdrawal in 2018 it started to increase its activities. Since then, international efforts have failed to revive the deal.
The 2015 agreement established that sanctions against Tehran would be lifted if Iran limited its nuclear programme. However, in 2018, during the first term of Mr Trump, Washington withdrew from the agreement, prompting Iran to gradually withdraw from its nuclear commitments.
Mr Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, has reimposed a "maximum pressure" policy of economic sanctions against Iran. He has said negotiations must be held while also threatening military action, but Tehran has rejected discussions with the US due to the sanctions policy.
Mr Trump has sent a letter on the issue to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which was delivered this week by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed.
