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Russia and China call for end to Iran sanctions as Trump pushes for nuclear deal | Avi Melamed’s Insights quoted by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar in her article for the INDEPENDENT.
“The Iran-Russia-China axis provides Iran with immunity against a Security Council resolution that could harm its nuclear programme,” Avi Melamed, a Middle East strategic intelligence analyst, told The Independent.
In spite of structural differences, he added, the axis presents a counterweight to Western interests in the northern Indian Ocean region.
“And poses a growing challenge to the West’s ability to hinder Iran’s nuclear programme development through non-military pressure”.
Russia, China and Iran are calling for an end to sanctions as the West scrambles to find a diplomatic path to halting Tehran’s suspected nuclear ambitions.
Senior diplomats from Russia, China and Iran met in Beijing on Friday for a discussion on Tehran’s nuclear programme after the West dialled up pressure on the Islamic Republic for allegedly inching closer to making a nuclear bomb.
Iran reached an agreement with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany in 2015 to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions. But Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 during his first term as US president.
The meeting came amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, but analysts said that the West did not have to be “scared of the Beijing talks”.
China hosted its allies shortly after Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian rejected the possibility of talks with Washington while Mr Trump was threatening his country. He was referring to the US president’s letter to supreme leader Ali Khamenei reportedly warning that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal”.
Iran said it would not bow to American “orders to talk”.
“The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard,” China’s vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu said after his meeting with Sergei Ryabkov and Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign ministers, respectively, for Russia and Iran. “The relevant parties should work to eliminate the root causes of the current situation and abandon sanctions, pressure and threats of the use of force.”
China has consistently backed the 2015 deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and criticised Mr Trump for withdrawing from it. The West has until October this year to trigger a “snapback” of UN sanctions on Iran for violating its terms.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is “entirely peaceful” despite its officials increasingly threatening to pursue a bomb since the conflict with Israel escalated last year.
The International Atomic Energy Agency claimed last month that Tehran was “dramatically” accelerating the enrichment of uranium to near the roughly 90 per cent weapons-grade level.
“The Iran-Russia-China axis provides Iran with immunity against a Security Council resolution that could harm its nuclear programme,” Avi Melamed, a Middle East strategic intelligence analyst, told The Independent.
In spite of structural differences, he added, the axis presents a counterweight to Western interests in the northern Indian Ocean region.
“And poses a growing challenge to the West’s ability to hinder Iran’s nuclear programme development through non-military pressure”.
Tehran and Moscow have deepened relations since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and they signed a strategic cooperation treaty earlier this year. Both have also maintained good relations with China.
While each party is seeking to secure its interests, the final solution to the Iranian nuclear issue cannot be separated from Europe and the US, Hongda Fan, professor at the Shanghai International Studies University, said. “Therefore, I don’t think the West and Nato should be scared of the Beijing talks.”
“Solving the nuclear issue requires efforts and compromises from all parties concerned. Single mandatory requirements for any party will not help solve the problem,” he told The Independent, adding that Russia and China are also likely to push Iran to face this issue more actively. “At least the Beijing meeting will not have a negative impact on the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue.”
The talks were called after six of the 15 UN Security Council members, including the US, UK and France, held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran said the meeting was a “misuse” of the Security Council.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier this week the US should ultimately lift the sanctions on the country. He said Tehran would enter “direct negotiations when we are on an equal footing”.
The same day, Washington sought to pressure Iran by imposing sanctions on petroleum minister Mohsen Paknejad. The US also blacklisted the owners or operators of vessels that it said were engaged in transporting Iranian oil to China.
Russia and China call for end to Iran sanctions as Trump pushes for nuclear deal | Avi Melamed’s Insights quoted by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar in her article for the INDEPENDENT.
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