China hits out at threats of force on Iran

China, Iran and Russia are working towards a healthy nuclear deal, as disclosed by Chinese state media on Friday, March 14, 2025.

At the Tehran’s nuclear program, the three countries called for diplomacy over “pressure and threats” and an end to “all illegal unilateral sanctions.”

The meeting was attended by the three countries’ deputy foreign ministers.

It comes as Beijing aims to position itself as a power broker on the urgent international security issue.

This is just days after US President Donald Trump said there were two ways to handle Iran: a deal or “militarily.”

According to Chinese state media, China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said that relevant parties should be committed to ending the war between Ukrain and Russia.

Zhaoxu further encouraged them to abandon sanctions pressure and threats of force,

Countries face pressure to find diplomatic solutions to manage Iran’s nuclear program.

They could trigger a return of United Nations sanctions, as a key deadline from a 2015 Iran nuclear deal looms.

Chinese officials have repeatedly voiced opposition to US sanctions on Iran and criticized the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

The campaign they claim, is to deter the Middle Eastern country from developing nuclear weapons.

These weapons were said to have been launched after the first Trump administration withdrew Washington from the 2015 deal.

The three nations called on relevant parties to avoid actions that escalate the situation.

They also called on them to jointly create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for diplomatic efforts.

This is according to a joint statement released by the Chinese media on Friday.

It follows the meeting between the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Iran, China and Russia.

They are:

Ma Zhaoxu – China Deputy Foreign Minister

Sergei Ryabkov – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister , and Iranian

Kazem Gharibabadi – Iran Deputy Foreign Minister

There is an increasing sense of urgency around finding a diplomatic path to rein in Iran’s nuclear program amid conflict in the Middle East.

The UN nuclear watchdog warns that Iran has rapidly expanded its stock of what is considered near-bomb-grade uranium.

Iran denies it wants a nuclear bomb and insists that its nuclear energy program is “entirely peaceful.”

Trump is pushing for a new deal, while European powers have held multiple rounds of talks with Tehran in recent months on the issue.

Observers say the diplomatic push in Beijing fits with China’s broader aim to position itself as an alternative global leader to the US.

This they say, is a goal Chinese leaders see more opportunity to achieve as Trump shakes up foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.

China is increasingly motivated to deepen its involvement (in the Iran nuclear issue) to safeguard its interests.

It is also motivated to expand its regional influence and reinforce its image as a responsible global power.

These were the asserions of Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington.

By having both Russia and Iran in the room, China “may also aim to highlight the significance of non-Western approaches to resolving global challenges,” Tong added.

China has long been an advocate for the 2015 nuclear deal – or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The agreement, originally negotiated between all five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Tehran, restricts Iran’s nuclear program.

Beijing has criticized the US withdrawal from the pact, while opposing American sanctions on Iran.

Tehran moved away from its nuclear-related commitments following the US withdrawal.

Under the 2015 deal, countries have until October to trigger a so-called “snapback” of international sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the JCPOA.

China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters ahead of a special UN Security Council meeting on Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday

“We still hope that we can seize the limited time we have before the termination date in October this year, in order to have a deal, a new deal so that the JCPOA can be maintained,” .

Since coming to office, Trump has restored his “maximum pressure” campaign, calling for the US Treasury to impose sanctions on Iran and ramp up their enforcement.

Last week, the US president told Fox News he had written to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump had added: “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran.”

But Iran has signaled in recent days it has no interest in speaking to Trump, with Khamenei criticizing efforts to negotiate from “bully states.”

It’s unclear what form a potential new agreement would take – or how it would be brokered.

But not reaching a deal could lead to escalation of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that’s seen Israel and Iran exchange direct strikes.

It could see Tehran shift its position on nuclear weapons, observers say.

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