US return to JCPOA, resumption of obligations, right way to defuse tensions: China

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urges the United States to rejoin the multilateral nuclear deal that Iran clinched with world powers in 2015 and resume its obligations under the agreement in order to defuse tensions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program.

In a post on her official Twitter account on Tuesday, Hua Chunying said the US’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and its so-called “maximum pressure” policy vis-à-vis Iran are the “root causes” of nuclear tensions with the Islamic Republic.

The #US withdrawal from the #JCPOA and its maximum pressure on #Iran are the root causes of the Iran nuclear issue deviating from the right direction. The US returning to the deal and resuming compliance is the right way for defusing the tensions.

— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) December 22, 2020

“The #US withdrawal from the #JCPOA and its maximum pressure on #Iran The US returning to the deal and resuming compliance is the right way for defusing the tensions,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman pointed out.

The tweet came a day after Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in an address to a virtual meeting of foreign ministers of the remaining parties to the JCPOA, also criticized the United States for quitting the landmark deal.

US should rejoin Iran nuclear deal unconditionally: China FM

The Chinese foreign minister says the United States should return to the JCPOA unconditionally at an early date.

Wang said the Iran nuclear situation has come to a critical juncture as US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the deal, at the same time that Washington has been mounting more pressure on Tehran.

President Donald Trump, a hawkish critic of the groundbreaking 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, France, Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany, unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in May 2018.

Washington reinstated the sanctions that the JCPOA had lifted, and also pressured others into committing to the bans and stopping their trade with Tehran.

The US unleashed the so-called maximum pressure campaign and targeted the Iranian nation with draconian restrictive measures in order to bring it to its knees, but Iran's economy keeps humming and is getting back on its feet.

During their Monday meeting, which was chaired by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, foreign ministers of the remaining signatories to the JCPOA reiterated their commitment to preserving the agreement and stressed their respective efforts in this regard.

All JCPOA parties must preserve deal, fully implement commitments: Joint statement

The remaining member states to the JCPOA say the deal should be preserved and all parties should fulfill their commitments.

The participants said the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA by all signatories remains "crucial," emphasizing the need for addressing ongoing challenges in the way of the deal's implementation, including nuclear non-proliferation and sanctions lifting commitments.

Meanwhile, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi also said on Monday that the Islamic Republic would accept no condition for the return of the United States to the JCPOA.

Iran nuclear chief: Tehran accepts no condition for US return to nuclear deal

Iran

“What has been said so far by Biden and his advisors indicates that they want to return [to the JCPOA]. If they want to return, we will welcome that, of course, if it is without any precondition,” Salehi added.

Read more: 

• Biden says he remains committed to the Iran nuclear deal

• China rejects any renegotiation of Iran deal, urges US to rejoin JCPOA

• UN-backed JCPOA binding deal for all members: Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman

   

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