Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has announced that his country is preparing to brief China on its progress in the nuclear deal with the United States, ahead of the third round of negotiations set to take place later this week.
Iran has accused Israel of sabotaging and undermining the ongoing discussions between Washington and Tehran. Araghchi is expected to visit Beijing today to discuss the latest developments with the administration of US President Donald Trump, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed on Monday.
This trip follows similar “consultations” held with Russia last week, before the second round of direct talks between the US and Iran took place over the weekend. A third round of discussions between Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to be held in Oman on Saturday.
Araghchi previously affirmed that Tehran has been consulting closely with its allies, Russia and China, regarding the nuclear agreement.
The 2015 accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was designed to limit Tehran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, citing concerns over Iran’s intentions.
Both the US and Israel have accused Iran of using its nuclear programme to secretly pursue nuclear weapons capability. Tehran has repeatedly denied these claims, maintaining that its programme is purely for civilian purposes.
Speaking on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated, “China and Iran have maintained exchanges and contacts at all levels and in various fields. Regarding the specific visit mentioned, I have no information to offer at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Baqaei accused Israel of deliberately attempting to derail the nascent negotiations, warning that such actions could be aimed at paving the way for possible military intervention.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons in the region.”
Experts suggest that Israel views Iran’s progress as a threat to its position as the only nuclear-armed state in the region. Should Iran achieve nuclear capability, the balance of power in the Middle East could shift significantly in Tehran’s favour.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has previously reported that Iran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity—close to the 90 per cent threshold required to build a nuclear weapon.
The JCPOA had restricted enrichment levels to 3.67 per cent, the amount needed for civilian energy production.
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