China backs Iran nuclear deal, calls for new Middle East forum to defuse tensions

While reiterating Beijing’s support for Tehran, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a new forum to defuse tensions in the Middle East. After a meeting with Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, China’s foreign ministry in a statement said that the country proposes to build a regional multilateral dialogue platform with equal participation of all stakeholders. The statement added that the forum would enhance mutual understanding through dialogue and explore political and diplomatic solutions to security issues in the Middle East. 

During Saturday’s meeting in China’s southwestern Tengchong city, Wang and Zarif reaffirmed their commitment to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. At the meeting, Wang said that the support for the Iranian nuclear deal, which was abandoned by US President Donald Trump, would be a precondition of entry to the forum. On the other hand, Zarif, while taking to Twitter, said that his ‘fruitful talks’ with Wang amounted to a rejection of US unilateralism and had also focused on strategic ties and partnership on the development of a coronavirus vaccine. 

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US imposes sanctions; Iran calls on world to condemn the move 

Meanwhile, China’s support for Tehran comes after the US targeted Iran’s financial sector by announcing fresh sanctions on 18 major Iranian banks. The US State Department said that the new tranche of sanctions was aimed at choking off the funds used to carry out “its support for terrorist activities and nuclear extortion”. The action generally bars Americans from dealing with those blacklisted under the sanctions and extends secondary sanctions to those who get involved in financial transactions with them. This could have a huge impact on European banks as they risk losing access to the US market and financial system. 

On Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also called on the international community to condemn the Trump administration’s decision. According to IRNA, Rouhani said in a phone conversation with the head of the country’s central bank, Abdolnasser Hemmati, that the US move was “against international law and regulation as well as inhumane,” coming at a time of the coronavirus pandemic. He also added that those who claim to support human rights all over the world should condemn the US decision. 

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