China says to host Russia, Iran for nuclear talks this week

BEIJING: China will host Russia and Iran for trilateral talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme on Friday, Beijing’s foreign ministry said.

“The three parties will exchange views on the Iranian nuclear issue and other issues of mutual interest,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

The meeting will be attended by China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Iran confirmed Wednesday it will hold talks this week with China and Russia on its nuclear programme, after Beijing announced it would host the meeting.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement the three-way talks on Friday would focus on “developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions”.

During US President Donald Trump’s first term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal that had relieved curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Tehran adhered to the 2015 deal for a year after Washington’s withdrawal, but then began rolling back its commitments.

Efforts to revive the pact have since faltered.