China has announced plans to host a meeting with Russia and Iran to discuss the latter’s nuclear programme as the United States ramps up pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal. The trilateral meeting will take place in Beijing on Friday, following a closed-door session of the United Nations Security Council convened by Western nations. The talks will focus on developments related to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions on Iran.
Relations between Iran and Russia have deepened, and both countries have maintained good relations with China. The focus on Iran’s nuclear programme comes as the US pushes for Tehran to agree to a deal preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons. President Donald Trump, now in his second term, has expressed openness to a new deal with Tehran but has also reinstated aggressive sanctions and threatened military action.
Iran has officially ruled out direct talks as long as sanctions remain in place. Last week, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, urging negotiations and warning of possible military action. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that a representative from an Arab country would deliver the letter to Tehran.
The meeting in China follows a UNSC session in New York discussing Iran’s enrichment of uranium up to 60 percent purity, moving closer to weapons-grade levels. The IAEA has warned about Iran’s accelerated uranium enrichment. The 2015 nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on Tehran, has faced challenges since the US withdrew in 2018, but efforts to revive it have not yet succeeded.
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