China Negotiates with Moscow and Tehran on Iran's Nuclear File

China's Foreign Ministry announced that one of its officials will negotiate with representatives from Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the 'nuclear file of Iran' on Friday, March 15, in Beijing. According to Reuters, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated at a press conference on Wednesday, March 13, that Ma Zhaoxu, the Deputy Foreign Minister of China, will lead these negotiations. Additionally, Ismail Baqaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, announced on Wednesday that this trilateral meeting will take place 'at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the three countries, focusing on developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.' Earlier, diplomats in New York had informed the news agency on Monday, March 11, that the United Nations Security Council would hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday to discuss the increase in Iran's enriched uranium reserves, which are nearing levels suitable for nuclear weapons. The request for this meeting was made by six of the 15 members of the Security Council, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Greece, and Panama. These countries have also called for the Security Council to discuss Iran's commitment to provide 'necessary information to the International Atomic Energy Agency' to 'clarify outstanding issues related to undeclared nuclear materials identified at several locations in Iran.' The Iranian delegation at the UN in New York did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on this meeting. The Iranian delegation had previously indicated on Sunday, March 10, its conditional willingness to discuss the nuclear program, provided it is limited to military or weapon-related concerns. The Iranian government has consistently denied any intention to develop nuclear weapons, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that Iran is enriching uranium at a 'notable' speed to levels of 60%, which is close to the approximately 90% needed for weapons-grade material. Western countries argue that there is no need for such high levels of uranium enrichment in any civilian program, and no country has achieved this level of enrichment without developing nuclear weapons. In 2015, Iran signed an agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the UK, Germany, France, the US, Russia, and China, under which sanctions against Iran were lifted in exchange for limitations on its nuclear program. However, the United States withdrew from this agreement in 2018 during Donald Trump's presidency, and Iran gradually distanced itself from its nuclear commitments. The UK, France, and Germany have informed the Security Council that they are prepared to activate the automatic sanctions snapback mechanism to restore all international sanctions against Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Donald Trump has instructed the US representative to the UN to work with allies to restore sanctions and international restrictions against Iran. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called on Sunday, March 10, for a complete halt to enrichment activities by Iran and the removal of high-purity enriched uranium from the country. The US President has stated that regarding Iran's nuclear program, either a peaceful and verifiable agreement will be reached to dismantle the program, or military action will be taken. He has expressed a preference for achieving this goal peacefully. Following the Iranian President's remarks in response to Trump's invitation for negotiation and agreement, the White House National Security Council spokesperson told VOA's Persian section that Trump's position remains the same: negotiation or war. Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday, March 12, implicitly referring to Trump's letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran, deemed his remarks threatening and stated that 'we are not coming at all,' rejecting the idea of negotiation under these conditions. The White House National Security Council spokesperson reiterated to VOA that 'President Trump has clearly stated that there are two ways to deal with Iran: military or through an agreement. We hope the Iranian regime will prioritize its people and best interests over terrorism.' Brian Hughes provided the same response to recent remarks by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. Khamenei claimed in a meeting with several government officials last Saturday that the American side's goal in potential negotiations is to 'set new expectations,' which 'will certainly not be met by [the Islamic Republic].' A spokesperson for the US State Department responded to Khamenei's remarks, stating that the US President has explicitly committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and has expressed readiness to negotiate an agreement. He added, 'If the Iranian regime does not want an agreement, the President (Trump) has clearly stated that Iran will remain under the revived maximum pressure campaign.' Since returning to the White House, Trump has revived the 'maximum pressure' policy and called for a comprehensive agreement with the Islamic Republic. However, Ali Khamenei has declared any negotiation with the US to be forbidden. Meanwhile, the economic situation in Iran is worsening daily due to the regime's extensive tensions with the world and the West.