Analysts expect that Washington will ramp up pressure on Tehran in response to last week’s trilateral nuclear talks between China, Iran and Russia – given the hardening consensus in the US against both the meeting’s host Beijing and the Middle East nation.
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Despite the pushback, China will continue to pursue multilateral negotiations on the nuclear issue, using them to reinforce its role as a key Middle East mediator and further expand its regional influence, the experts said.
At the Beijing talks on March 14, the three nations reaffirmed their commitment to non-proliferation and jointly condemned “sanctions, pressure, or the threat of force”.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi also proposed a five-point plan for the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue that included a commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal that President Donald Trump pulled the US out of during his first term.
Tehran’s positive response to the talks – which came just days after Trump sought to engage Iran in bilateral nuclear negotiations – was in stark contrast to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s swift rejection of the Washington proposal.
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Khamenei said Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations after Trump announced he had written to Iran suggesting a restart to bilateral talks – followed by a declaration that the US would have to “go in militarily” if the Iranians did not want to negotiate.