Beijing Views US Return To JCPOA As Key To Breaking Iranian Nuclear Deadlock

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) China believes that Washington's return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program is the key to breaking the current deadlock, the foreign ministry's spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said on Friday.

Earlier in February, US State Department spokesperson Ned price said that Washington was ready to accept an invitation to attend a meeting with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran to discuss Tehran's nuclear program. Furthermore, Acting US Permanent Representative to the UN Richard Mills announced that Washington withdrew ex-president Donald Trump administration's request to reimpose all UN sanctions against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the United States must remove sanctions imposed on Iran and return to the nuclear agreement if it really wants to discontinue with the policies of former Trump administration.

"The situation with the Iranian nuclear problem is currently at a critical stage, and we have a rare opportunity to get the JCPOA back on track. China believes that a fast return of the United States to the JCPOA without any preconditions is the key to breaking the current impasse," Hua said at a briefing.

According to the spokeswoman, China is actively promoting the idea of holding an international meeting with the participation of all JCPOA parties and the United States, during which the sides will be able to discuss a roadmap for the return of the United States and Iran to fulfilling their obligations.

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with the P5+1 group of countries (the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom - plus Germany) as well as the European Union. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption. The Trump administration exited the deal in 2018 and reinstated sanctions against Iran.

In December, Iran passed a law to increase its uranium enrichment and stop UN inspections of its nuclear sites in response to the killing of nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. In early January, Iran's atomic energy organization announced that the country had succeeded in enriching uranium to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.