China, Iran agree to uphold nuclear deal, deepen bilateral relations

China and Iran have reached agreements on the Iran nuclear issue and vowed to keep deepening their ties amid the difficulties and challenges caused by the US sanctions and withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held bilateral talks in Beijing on Monday.

The two senior diplomats blamed the US for its withdrawal from JCPOA and its pressure on Iran resulting in a regional crisis.

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at Monday’s routine press conference that the Iran nuclear issue was of vital importance to the two countries’ strategic cooperation.

China and Iran would continuously consolidate mutual understanding, deepen cooperation and benefit people from the two countries, Hua said.

The sanctions are unsustainable, which also shows the US is selfishly and rudely destroying regional prosperity and stability, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Monday.

The US pulled out of the historic Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

A spokesperson for the Embassy of Iran to China told the Global Times on Monday that the two countries’ agreement to uphold JCPOA promoted multilateral diplomacy and preserved regional and international peace and security.

The spokesperson urged the US to lift all unilateral sanctions and return to the implementation of the nuclear deal and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

“Iran and China do not need permission from third countries in order to advance and deepen their bilateral trade and economic relations and they are determined to pursue the mutual interests of their people,” the spokesperson said.

In June, China and Russia released a joint announcement, claiming that the two countries will always support the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal.

They said that the US unilateral sanctions were “unacceptable.”