Iranian nuclear deal only viable solution: China Daily editorial

If you want to go fast, walk alone; if you want to go farther, walk together. This well-known piece of advice should be heeded by the United States and applied to the Iranian nuclear deal.

Aside from the US, which has unilaterally withdrawn from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iranian nuclear deal, all the other parties to the deal still support its effective and full implementation, as shown by the joint commission meeting held in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, which was attended by representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran.

During the meeting, the relevant parties pledged their determination to pursue all efforts to preserve the agreement, which sends an unmistakable message to the international community that the nuclear deal still plays an important role in the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

That message should also prompt the US to reflect on its withdrawal from the deal, as that decision has not only dented international efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue peacefully, it has also sparked a new round of tensions between Washington and Teheran and further exacerbated conflicts in the Gulf region.

Since the withdrawal of the US, the other relevant parties have tried hard to maintain the Iranian nuclear deal. Apart from Europe and Iran's efforts to sidestep US sanctions, it is noteworthy that China and Russia have stepped up diplomacy and mediation so as to create conditions conducive to a political settlement of the issue.

China appreciates Russia's efforts in promoting the Fordow nuclear facility reconstruction project and the Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges introduced by the European Union so European companies can continue to trade with Iran.

As a country strongly committed to keeping the Iranian nuclear deal intact, China hopes the US will heed the calls of the international community and abandon its unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction.

The US is not only imposing maximum pressure on Iran, but also wantonly sanctioning and threatening to sanction other responsible parties that implement the deal. This unilateral practice has severely compromised the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, escalated the crisis and aggravated the regional situation.

Washington should respect the fact that 15 consecutive times, the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified Iran's compliance with the commitments it made under the nuclear deal and stop exerting extreme pressure on Iran so as to avoid pushing the current volatile situation out of control.

For peace and stability in the Middle East, the US needs to recognize the importance and effectiveness of the Iranian nuclear deal and give its support to it.