Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs says Tehran and Beijing, as reliable partners, have common views on the United States’ unlawful and unilateral sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.
Ali Baqeri-Kani made the remarks in a Monday tweet while explaining about a phone call he had with China’s vice-minister of foreign affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, earlier the same day.
"In a friendly and fruitful phone conversation with Mr. Ma Zhaoxu, China’s vice-minister of foreign affairs, I appreciated China's positive stance and constructive interaction," Baqeri-Kani added.
"Iran and China, as reliable partners, share views on the illegal nature of US sanctions and the significance of the rule of law in international relations," he added.
He added that the two sides also emphasized the need for the removal of sanctions imposed on Iranian individuals and entities as well as third parties, and also to assure that such bans would never be repeated.
Tehran and Beijing would continue consultations on a range of issues, particularly in the international arena, the Iranian diplomat said.
In a clear violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the US refuses to remove the anti-Iran sanctions it re-imposed against Tehran following its withdrawal from the deal in 2018.
Iran fully honored its nuclear obligations for an entire year, after which it decided to ramp up its nuclear work as a legal “remedial measure” against the US violation of the deal and the abject failure on the part of the other signatories, the E3 in particular, to safeguard its benefits.
Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA have held six rounds of talks in Austria’s capital, Vienna, since April, which began after the administration of US President Joe Biden voiced willingness to rejoin the agreement. The talks were, however, put on hold in the run-up to Iran’s presidential election in June so that the Islamic Republic could go through a period of government transition.
Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, urged the United States late last month to “thoroughly correct its wrong policy of maximum pressure” against Iran in order to bring the JCPOA back on the right track.
“The US should thoroughly correct its wrong policy of ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran, and Iran should resume full compliance on this basis,” Wang said, adding, “Other parties should also create a favorable atmosphere for achieving the above goals.”