China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that Beijing hopes all parties can maintain communication on the Iranian nuclear issue and resume dialogue, while his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, insisted Tehran would not negotiate with the United States over its missile programme.
In a phone call with Araghchi, Wang said the “current political process to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue is stalled, which is not in the common interest of the international community,” according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. Wang also reiterated Beijing’s support for Tehran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The diplomatic push comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West. Tehran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following a 12-day war with Israel in June. Iranian politicians sharply criticised the U.N. nuclear watchdog and its director, accusing the agency of providing a pretext for the Israeli attack after its board of governors passed a resolution accusing Iran of violating its non-proliferation obligations just a day before the war began.
“Iran’s regional policy and its missiles are always brought up, but we will only discuss the nuclear (file),” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iran’s Al-Alam television. “In all previous rounds of negotiations, America has always raised the issues of missiles and the region, but our position on this matter has always been clear and firm.”
Araghchi added that “at present, there is no programme or plan for negotiations, and therefore there is no need for any mediation or mediators at this stage.”
The United Nations reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in September after Britain, France, and Germany activated the “trigger mechanism” of the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement.
IAEA chief demands cooperation
Earlier on Wednesday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi called on Iran to “seriously” improve its cooperation with U.N. inspectors to avoid escalating tensions. He criticised Tehran for not allowing inspectors access to its most important nuclear sites.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Grossi said that while the IAEA has conducted about 12 inspections in Iran since the war, it has not been allowed access to the key Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities, which were struck by the United States during the June conflict.
The 12-day war, which began with Israeli airstrikes, was followed by U.S. bombing of the three underground nuclear sites using bunker-buster munitions.
Grossi stated that while the attacks caused significant damage, the fate of 408 kilograms of uranium enriched to near military-grade levels remains unclear, creating a “growing sense of need” to resume inspections. “We should have already resumed inspection work,” he said.
He noted that the IAEA was trying to handle the “turbulent” relationship with Iran with understanding, but that the country still needed to comply with its obligations. “You cannot say, ‘I am remaining within the Non-Proliferation Treaty,’ and then not comply with the obligations,” Grossi said. “Otherwise, what I will have to do is to report the loss of all visibility of these materials.”
In the meantime, the IAEA is relying on satellite imagery to monitor the bombed sites.
