Ajit Karn
Beijing: On Thursday, both the President of China, Xi Jinping, and the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, called for the removal of international sanctions on Iran as an essential component of a global deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, which is currently in a stalemate.
On the last day of Raisi’s three-day official visit to China, the two leaders issued a joint statement in which they announced that Xi had accepted an offer from Raisi to visit Iran and would do so whenever it was convenient for him to do so.
The leaders called for the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement that was reached in 2015 and is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This agreement stipulates that Iran will limit its nuclear programme in exchange for cooperation from a number of countries, including the United States.
Nevertheless, in 2018, the then-president of the United States, Donald Trump, pulled the United States out of the agreement and ordered the reimposition of United States sanctions on Iran.
In 2021, Vice President Joseph Biden said that the United States would return to the agreement if Iran came back into compliance with its terms, but since then, negotiations have been unsuccessful.
According to the statements made by Xi and Raisi, “all applicable sanctions should be entirely removed in a verifiable way to support the full and effective implementation.”
Both China and Iran emphasised that the removal of sanctions and the provision of economic advantages to Iran were essential components of the deal, as stated by both countries.
On Tuesday, Xi told Raisi that China would “participate constructively” in talks to resume negotiations on implementing the agreement, while also expressing his support for Iran in safeguarding its rights and interests. These comments came after Xi told Raisi that China would “participate constructively” in talks to resume negotiations on implementing the agreement.
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In the declaration, the leaders emphasised that China “firmly opposes involvement by foreign forces in Iran’s domestic affairs and compromising Iran’s security and stability.”
In exchange for an easing of economic restrictions, the two presidents also drafted a number of other measures, one of which included expanding agricultural and online trade.
