China, Russia, Iran: End Sanctions     03/14 06:22

   Representatives of China, Russia and Iran called Friday for an end to U.S. 
sanctions on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and a restart to 
multinational talks on the issue.

   TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Representatives of China, Russia and Iran called 
Friday for an end to U.S. sanctions on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear 
program and a restart to multinational talks on the issue.

   The talks are the latest attempt to broach the matter and come after U.S. 
President Donald Trump wrote to Iran's supreme leader in an attempt to 
jumpstart talks.

   The letter, which hasn't been published, was offered as Trump levied new 
sanctions on Iran as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign that holds out the 
possibility of military action while emphasizing he still believed a new deal 
could be reached.

   The three nations who met Friday morning "emphasized the necessity of 
terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions," China's Vice Foreign Minister 
Ma Zhaoxu read from a joint statement, flanked by Russia's Deputy Foreign 
Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem 
Gharibabadi.

   "The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and 
dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and 
practical option in this regard," Ma read.

   Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was due to meet with the representatives 
later in the day.

   Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has mocked Trump, saying he 
wasn't interested in talks with a "bullying government," although Iranian 
officials have offered conflicting signals over the possibility of 
negotiations. Trump sent a letter to Khamenei in 2019 with no apparent effect 
on rising tensions.

   China and Russia are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, 
along with France and Britain, that took part in the original 2015 Iran nuclear 
deal preliminary framework agreement alongside Germany and the European Union. 
Trump withdrew America from the accord in 2018, setting in motion years of 
attacks and tensions in the wider Middle East.

   China and Russia have particularly close relations with Iran through energy 
deals and Iran has provided Russia with bomb-carrying drones in its war against 
Ukraine.

   They are also seen as sharing a joint interest in diminishing the role of 
the U.S. and other liberal democracies in determining world events in favor of 
their own highly authoritarian systems.

   Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials 
increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to 
near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a 
nuclear weapons program to do so.

   Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium 
only up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms 
(661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on 
Iran's program put its stockpile at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds) as it 
enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity.

   While Iran has maintained it won't negotiate under duress, its economy has 
been savaged by the U.S. sanctions. Protests over women's rights, the economy 
and Iran's theocracy in recent years have shaken its government.

   China has sought to become more involved in Middle Eastern affairs and a 
year ago hosted talks leading to the full restoration of diplomatic ties 
between Saudi Arabia and Iran.