Iran’s top diplomat in China to discuss nuclear talks with US
Foreign Minister Araghchi says he is keeping Beijing updated on developments in negotiations; Tehran condemns latest sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was visiting China on Wednesday for consultations ahead of a new round of nuclear talks with the United States.
Iran and the United States are set to meet in Oman on Saturday for a third set of talks on the Iranian nuclear issue, with Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff leading the negotiations.
A technical meeting between nuclear experts from the two countries will also be held on Saturday in the Omani capital, Muscat.
“It is necessary for us to keep our friends in China informed of developments and to consult with them,” Araghchi told Iranian state television.
China was a party to the 2015 nuclear agreement that reined in Tehran’s nuclear program, which was abandoned after US President Donald Trump withdrew from it three years later.
“China has played an important and constructive role on the nuclear issue in the past, and the same role is certainly necessary in the future,” the Iranian minister added.
Following last Saturday’s talks in Rome, Araghchi said the meeting was “good” and that the negotiations were “moving forward.”
On Monday, Trump said Washington had “very good meetings” on Iran.
The 2015 agreement provided for the lifting of international sanctions against Iran in exchange for oversight of its nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It was also negotiated by four other permanent UN Security Council members — Britain, France, Russia, and the United States — along with Germany and the European Union.
According to the IAEA, Iran was complying with its commitments until the US withdrawal, which triggered the reimposition of US sanctions.
Iran responded by dropping some of its commitments to the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Since his return to office in January, Trump has reimposed sweeping sanctions under his policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran.
In March, he sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for talks but warning of possible military action if they failed to produce a deal.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it has ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60 percent purity, which has no application beyond nuclear weapons, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.
China is Iran’s largest commercial partner and the main buyer of its oil, with Tehran still under crushing US sanctions.
Around 92 percent of Iranian oil heads toward China, according to Iranian media, and is often sold at a considerable discount.
In 2021, Tehran and Beijing signed a comprehensive 25-year strategic agreement covering energy, security, infrastructure and communications among other areas.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned new US sanctions targeting its oil network, calling the move a sign of Washington’s “hostile approach” ahead of a third round of nuclear talks.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the US policy of imposing sanctions on the Iranian people was a “clear contradiction with the United States’ demand for dialogue and negotiation and indicates America’s lack of goodwill and seriousness in this regard.”
On Tuesday, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Iranian liquefied petroleum gas magnate Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh and his corporate network.
It said in a statement the network was “collectively responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG and crude oil to foreign markets.”
The Times of Israel Community.