China Tells Iran That U.S. Should Rectify Nuclear Moves: Xinhua

(Bloomberg) -- China said the U.S. should rectify its actions in unilaterally withdrawing from a nuclear pact with Iran, and the Persian Gulf nation can resume fulfilling its nuclear commitments on that basis.

China welcomed Iran’s decision to return to the nuclear talks, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a Saturday phone conversation between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian. Amirabdollahian told Wang that Iran is committed to the talks on reviving nuclear agreement and is willing to step up coordination with China on the matter.

Iran last week announced the resumption of multi-party nuclear talks that have been stalled for months. The negotiations are aimed at restoring the beleaguered 2015 atomic deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump exited more than three years ago. 

The nuclear agreement, which the Trump administration quit in 2018 to reimpose sanctions, gave international monitors unprecedented access to Iranian nuclear facilities. However, many of those powers have been suspended since February, eroding international oversight on the program. 

Iran denies its nuclear program has a military component, but distrust of that claim led world powers to seek the 2015 deal. 

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