Chinese FM calls for early return of US to Iran nuclear deal

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that the United States should return unconditionally to the Iran nuclear deal as soon as possible, while lifting sanctions on Iran and third-party entities and individuals.

Wang made the remarks during a video conference of foreign ministers on Iran nuclear issue, saying that, on the basis of a U.S. resumption, Iran should completely resume the fulfillment of its nuclear commitments.

The meeting was chaired by Josep Borrell, the European Union (EU) high representative for foreign affairs and security policy. Also attending the meeting were Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Wang said that, at present, the Iranian nuclear situation has come to a critical juncture. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear that the United States has the willingness to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Meanwhile, the United States continues to intensify its pressure on Iran.

"The comprehensive agreement not only has a window of opportunity to get back on track, but also faces unprecedented risks and challenges," Wang said.

Under the circumstances, Wang put forward four suggestions on the Iran nuclear issue, the first of which is to unswervingly uphold the agreement. The second is to promote an early return of the United States to the Iran nuclear deal. The third is to settle disputes fairly and objectively during the implementation of the deal, while the fourth is to properly handle regional security issues.

China proposes to set up a multilateral dialogue platform in the Gulf region to initiate an inclusive dialogue process and to continuously build consensus on regional security issues, Wang said.