Iran’s Top Diplomat to Visit China on Tuesday
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington due on Saturday in Oman.
In a trip to Moscow last week, Araqchi told state TV that Tehran always closely consults with its friends, Russia and China, over the nuclear issue.
“It is natural that we will consult and brief China over the latest developments in Iran-US indirect talks,” Baghaei said, adding that Beijing can play a constructive role in this process.
Long-time foes Iran and the US started negotiations earlier this month with the aim of placing limits on Tehran’s nuclear program, which Western powers say is geared toward developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran has long denied such accusations and seeks in exchange the lifting of US sanctions that were re-imposed by President Donald Trump during his first term in office (2017-2021), when he withdrew from a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers, including China and Russia.
Since taking office in January, Trump has ratcheted pressure on Iran and has for the first time sanctioned Chinese “teapot” refineries – small, independent plants – that process Iranian crude oil and have provided an economic lifeline to Tehran’s squeezed economy.
