China seeks US return to Iran nuclear deal and a lifting of sanctions

China called on the United States on Monday to return to the Iran nuclear deal without conditions and to lift all US sanctions against Iran and related entities.

“The US shall return to the Iran nuclear deal as soon as possible and without any preconditions, and the US should also scrap all sanctions imposed on Iran, other third-party entities and individuals,” said Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a video conference hosted by the European Union and attended by foreign ministers from Russia, Iran, Britain, France and Germany – the other signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that US President Donald Trump exited in 2018.

“The Iran nuclear situation is now at a critical juncture as US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the accord. However, the US has also intensified pressure on Iran at the same time,” Wang said.

This month, Biden’s choice for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the incoming administration would want to put Iran’s nuclear programme “back into the box” by rejoining the deal, which was signed in 2015 during the Obama administration, and by winning Tehran’s compliance with the terms of the original agreement.

On Monday, Wang said that the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and its sanctions on Iran were the causes of worsening circumstances concerning Iran’s nuclear programme.