Beijing, Moscow Coordinate Efforts on Tehran Nuclear Issue

Russia and China are preparing to unveil a joint initiative aimed at resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, according to Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna.

He criticized the approach of European countries, saying that Europe’s actions have politicized the issue, weakened diplomatic efforts, and undermined the level of cooperation between the IAEA and Tehran, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

The remarks come as the UN Security Council prepares to vote on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Britain, France, and Germany have pushed for the so-called snapback mechanism to be activated, accusing Iran of failing to honor its commitments. Under the JCPOA’s dispute resolution process, any party that claims non-compliance by Iran can seek the reinstatement of six earlier Security Council resolutions, adopted between 2006 and 2010. Iran argues that the Europeans cannot invoke the mechanism because they were the first to violate the deal, refusing to compensate for the US withdrawal in 2018. Tehran says it only reduced its nuclear commitments in response to that breach.