Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Beijing on Sunday and met the foreign minister on the first leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour designed to try and rescue what is left of the international nuclear deal after the US pulled out last week.
Zarif told his Chinese counterpart that the leaders of the two countries have always sought “comprehensive strategic cooperation”, ISNA reported.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hailed bilateral relations saying that “he was sure Zarif’s trip is crucial in defending the Iranian people’s rights along with regional peace and stability.”
He said he was happy that Zarif had chosen Beijing as the first destination of his three-nation tour, noting that this is an indication of the importance of Sino-Iran collaboration.
China was one of the six powers–with the US, Russia, France, the UK and Germany–that signed the historic pact which saw sanctions lifted in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The decision to withdraw and reimpose sanctions infuriated US allies in Europe as well as China and Russia.
Iran said it would remain committed to the deal without Washington if Tehran receives definitive guarantees that the three European countries would carry out their part of deal without Washington.
President Hassan Rouhani said he had asked Zarif to negotiate with European countries, China and Russia in the coming weeks. “If at the end of this short period we conclude that we can fully benefit from the nuclear accord, the deal would endure,” he said.
Concern for China
On Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry and state media said Zarif was visiting Beijing at the head of a large political and economic delegation to “exchange views with relevant parties on developments of the Iranian nuclear issue”.
“China is highly concerned with the direction of the Iranian nuclear issue and is willing to maintain communication with all relevant parties, including Iran,” Geng Shuang, spokesman for the foreign ministry said ahead of Zarif’s arrival.
As he arrived, Zarif said, “We will discuss the decision that Iran should take.”
“As the president has said, we are ready for all option(s). If the nuclear deal is to continue, the interests of the people of Iran must be reassured,” he was quoted as saying.
“We have had good relations with China before and after the deal,” he said, adding that “China is by far Iran’s top economic partner. We are certain that today China is by our side.”
Fate of the Deal
Zarif was due to arrive in Moscow on Sunday and later proceed to Brussels to meet his counterparts from Germany, Britain and France on the “fate of the nuclear deal.”
Europe’s largest economies are lobbying to protect their companies and their investments in Iran, seeking to keep the nuclear deal alive. Germany and France have significant trade links with Iran and remain committed to the nuclear agreement, as does Britain, and the three countries’ foreign ministers are to meet on Tuesday to discuss the critical issue.
