China has urged the USA to respond positively to the “goodwill and flexibility” shown by Tehran in the process of talks for the revival of the 2015 Iran deal. “There is still hope for reaching an agreement in the negotiations”, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said.
Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said “Negotiations on resuming compliance with the JCPOA face serious complexities” while adding that “There is still hope to reach an agreement,”. Wang referred to the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Wang urged all parties to the JCPOA to stay committed to dialog and negotiation and step up diplomatic efforts to bring the deal back on track as soon as possible. While claiming that “Iran has recently shown goodwill and flexibility on some outstanding issues of the negotiations”, Wang said, “The US needs to respond to that positively and find ways to work with Iran for the negotiations to achieve the early result.”
The Chinese Diplomat also urged all the parties to work together. He urged to take positive and constructive steps to create a favorable atmosphere for the negotiations aimed at salvaging the JCPOA.
Wang Wenbin warned of the consequences of attempts to tie the Iranian nuclear program with other issues or unilaterally tighten sanctions and pressure on Tehran. “It would only lead the negotiations to a dead end and even undo previous diplomatic efforts,” he added.
In May 2018, then US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the nuclear accord reached between Iran and the world powers. Trump administration imposed harsh economic sanctions against Iran under his so-called “maximum pressure” policy. Since then, there is a stalemate and Iran has used to opportunity to strengthen its nuclear program.
As Trump lost the elections, talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April last year. The words have remained hindered since August 2022, as Washington continues to insist on its hard-nosed position. The United States is in favor of not removing all sanctions that the previous Trump administration slapped.
Meanwhile, Iran maintains that it is necessary that the USA should offer some guarantees that it will remain committed to any agreement that is reached. On the other hand, China has reinstated that it attaches importance to the European Union’s position on the Iranian nuclear issue.
“China will continue to work with parties concerned to contribute to the political and diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said.
