Explainer | Where does China stand on the Iran nuclear deal?

Beijing has been pushing for the pact to be revived, but Washington and Tehran are at odds over who should take the first step

China has long had close ties with Iran and they are reportedly near to finalising a 25-year trade and military agreement

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A missile is launched during a drill in Iran in January. Tehran has taken a tough line on the Biden administration’s early efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. Photo: Iranian Revolutionary Guard via AP

Published: 10:01pm, 23 Feb 2021Updated: 2:45am, 24 Feb 2021

Washington’s recent overtures to Tehran have raised hopes that the Iran nuclear pact can be resurrected – something Beijing has been pushing for.

China, having invested in its economic and military ties with Iran for decades, wants to salvage the 2015 deal and turn what was a flashpoint issue during the Donald Trump era into an opportunity for cooperation with the new US government.

President Joe Biden has said he wants to rejoin the deal that Trump withdrew from – an agreement that gave Iran billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

But the United States and Iran are at odds over who should take the first step in reviving the accord. The Biden administration has insisted that Iran should first return to full compliance with its obligations under the deal, while Tehran wants the US to first rejoin the accord and lift its sanctions.

US President Joe Biden has said he wants to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. Photo: AFP

What is China’s position?

China and five other world powers – the US, Britain, France, Germany and Russia – agreed to the deal with Iran in July 2015. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it has been in jeopardy since former US president Trump abandoned the pact and reinstated sanctions in 2018.