Top Chinese, Iranian diplomats speak over phone, reiterate support to each other on core issues.
China has urged the US to respond to Iran on resuming compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the historic nuclear deal with Tehran which is stalled.
Insisting on diplomatic efforts to end the deadlock, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: “The US side should earnestly recognize its responsibilities and respond positively to reasonable demands of the Iranian side.”
His comments came during a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s on Thursday night.
Amir-Abdollahian told Wang that the US is the “main obstacle facing the current negotiation” on the landmark deal, said a statement by China’s Foreign Ministry.
“The bullying behavior of the United States is the main obstacle facing the current negotiation,” Amir-Abdollahian said on resuming compliance with the JCPOA.
Earlier in the day, Amir-Abdollahian, during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, urged Washington to be “realistic” about reaching an agreement on reviving the landmark deal.
“The Iranian side will firmly safeguard its national interests and is also firmly committed to resolving differences through negotiations in order to reach an agreement at an early date,” the Iranian foreign minister told Wang.
Tehran, said Amir-Abdollahian, appreciates the “constructive role” played by China on the Iranian nuclear issue.
The talks to revive the deal have been stalled due to key disagreements between Tehran and Washington, including the de-listing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Assuring firm support to Iran on issues related to each other’s core interests, Wang told the top Iranian top diplomat that China “does not approve of any non-constructive moves that lead to a spiral of escalation of the situation.”
“All parties should continue to uphold the correct logic of right and wrong and unremittingly promote to reach an agreement through diplomatic efforts,” said Wang, referring to the nuclear deal.
Beijing, he added, opposes “politicization of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) affairs and supports the resolution of outstanding issues through dialogue and cooperation between IAEA and the Iranian side.”
-AA