Beijing opposes bid to pressure Iran
China speaks out against US push to have Security Council extend or reimpose sanctions
The international community should jointly oppose Washington’s attempt to have the United Nations Security Council extend or reimpose sanctions on Iran, Beijing said on July 14.
It should also urge the United States to comply with the Iran nuclear deal and the related UN Security Council resolution, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement on the fifth anniversary of the deal’s conclusion.
The deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, has become a key element of the international nuclear nonproliferation regime as well as an important and positive factor for maintaining international and regional peace and stability, Hua said.
The deal, a good example of using multilateral approaches to solve tough issues, is at risk of being further undermined as the US seeks an extension of the Security Council arms embargo on Iran and threatens to reinstate sanctions on the country, Hua said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed the Security Council on June 30 to extend the arms embargo, Reuters reported.
Pompeo also said earlier in June that the US “has the unilateral ability to snap back sanctions into place” if the council does not pass a resolution presented by the US to extend the arms embargo on Iran.
The deal was struck in Vienna on July 14, 2015, between Iran and China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union. It was endorsed by the council’s Resolution 2231.
According to the resolution, the arms embargo is scheduled to expire in October this year.
The US, however, withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran.
China believes that the right path of addressing the Iranian nuclear issue lies in maintaining and implementing the Iran nuclear deal, Hua said, adding that Iran’s scaling back of compliance with the deal is a result of “maximum pressure” exerted by the US.
Hua said parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “should strengthen dialogue and consultation within the framework of the Joint Commission, seek a solution to the compliance dispute in a step-by-step and reciprocal approach”.
They should also support the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran in strengthening dialogue and cooperation, she said.
China has always aimed at maintaining the international nuclear nonproliferation regime and peace in the Middle East and maintaining multilateralism and the authority of the UN as well as the international order based on international law, Hua said.