Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 12, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
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China, Russia, and Iran meet in Beijing to discuss Iran's nuclear issue amid rising tensions. Talks focus on uranium enrichment and diplomatic efforts.
BEIJING (Reuters) -China will hold a meeting on Friday in Beijing with Russia and Iran on the Iranian "nuclear issue", its foreign ministry said, with both nations sending their deputy foreign ministers.
Ties between Iran and Russia have deepened since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, with a strategic cooperation treaty signed in January. Both have good relations with China.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair the meeting, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry, told a regular press conference on Wednesday.
The meeting will follow a closed-door gathering of the United Nations Security Council in New York the same day regarding Iran's expansion of its stocks of uranium that are close to weapons-grade.
Last week, Russia said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to tackle Iran's nuclear programme with its ambassador, Kazem Jalali, after reports that Russia agreed to help U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in communicating with Iran.
Tehran has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon. However, the U.N. atomic watchdog IAEA has warned it is "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90%.
Iran reached a deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in 2015, that lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
But Washington quit the plan in 2018 during Trump's first term, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments.
China has said it supports Iran in safeguarding its legitimate rights and calling for an early resumption of the Iranian nuclear talks.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez)
The meeting aims to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue, as stated by China's foreign ministry.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair the meeting.
Tehran has long denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon, despite warnings from the U.N. atomic watchdog.
Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with several countries, which lifted sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
The U.S. withdrew from the plan in 2018, leading Iran to move away from its nuclear-related commitments.
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