Concerns of all parties to Iran nuke talks must be addressed, Chinese envoy

VIENNA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun said here Friday that the concerns and demands of all parties to the Iran nuclear talks must be addressed properly and that political dialogue and negotiations are the only solution.

Wang's remarks came after the European Union (EU) coordinator in the Vienna talks announced early on Friday "a pause" of the talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal due to "external factors."

The Iran nuclear deal is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Wang, China's chief negotiator, said that the suspension of the Vienna talks shows that the negotiations "are not taking place in a vacuum," but are "a microcosm of political reality."

Noting that parties to the Vienna talks have not reached a full agreement on the text of a deal, China calls on all parties to intensify diplomatic efforts during the recess and clear all obstacles through dialogue and negotiations to reach a deal, he added.

The Chinese envoy stressed that China has played a "vital and constructive" role throughout the Vienna talks.

He added that China will continue to promote an early agreement of the Vienna talks from the perspectives of upholding the JCPOA and safeguarding the global non-proliferation regime and peace in the Middle East.

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, plus Germany) and the EU.

However, former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the pact in May 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran. This prompted Iran to drop some of its nuclear commitments and advance its previously halted nuclear programs.

Since April 2021, Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties have held eight rounds of marathon talks in Vienna to restore the deal.