China says Iran nuclear talks at 'crucial stage'

China says the disagreement over Iran’s nuclear programme has reached “a new, crucial stage,” calling for Tehran to begin a new round of talks with world powers, something a US official said could happen at some point.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the comment on Thursday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a speech drawing a “red line” for Iran’s nuclear programme on Thursday, despite a US refusal to set an ultimatum, saying Tehran will be on the brink of a nuclear weapon in less than a year.

While Netanyahu was not entirely clear on the point, he appeared to suggest that if Iran were to acquire enough 20 per cent enriched uranium needed for a single bomb, it would have crossed his proposed “red line” and could face military action.

Yang spoke several hours after Netanyahu’s UN General Assembly address and after a meeting of officials from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – and Germany yielded no obvious signs of progress toward a diplomatic solution.

“The Iranian nuclear issue has reached a new, crucial stage,” Yang said in a speech at the UN General Assembly. “The relevant parties should remain committed to a diplomatic solution and begin a new round of dialogue as soon as possible.”

A senior US official said “at some point” the group would likely return for a fourth round of talks with Iran.

“I think we’ve got some additional work to do first, so I would not expect that to happen immediately, but I would hope that we will get there in the not-too-distant future,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.