China leads critical talks on Iran's nuclear program with Russia and Iran

(Reuters): China will hold a meeting on Friday in Beijing with Russia and Iran on the Iranian “nuclear issue”, its foreign ministry said, with both nations sending their deputy foreign ministers.

Ties between Iran and Russia have deepened since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, with a strategic cooperation treaty signed in January. Both have good relations with China.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair the meeting, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry, told a regular press conference on Wednesday.

The meeting will follow a closed-door gathering of the United Nations Security Council in New York the same day regarding Iran’s expansion of its stocks of uranium that are close to weapons-grade.

Last week, Russia said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to tackle Iran’s nuclear programme with its ambassador, Kazem Jalali, after reports that Russia agreed to help US President Donald Trump’s administration in communicating with Iran.

Tehran has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.

However, the UN atomic watchdog IAEA has warned it is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90pc.

Iran reached a deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in 2015, that lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

But Washington quit the plan in 2018 during Trump’s first term, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments.

China has said it supports Iran in safeguarding its legitimate rights and calling for an early resumption of the Iranian nuclear talks.