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US should rejoin Iran nuclear deal with no preconditions: China

Wednesday, 20 January 2021 2:36 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 20 January 2021 2:36 AM ]

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying

China has called on the incoming US administration to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with no preconditions and remove the unilateral sanctions on the country.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the plea at a regular press conference in the capital, Beijing, on Tuesday, just a few hours before the inauguration of the newly-elected US President Joe Biden.

"The Iranian nuclear issue is at a crucial juncture. The imperative at the moment is for all parties to accelerate the implementation of the consensus reached last December's foreign ministers' meeting," Hua told reporters at the presser, referring to a virtual meeting that the remaining member states to the deal reiterated their commitment to preserving the agreement.

"The US side should rejoin the JCPOA with no preconditions as early as possible and lift all relevant sanctions," she added.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry official also urged Iran to resume full compliance with the landmark deal and said, "No preconditions for this should be set by any party."

"China hopes that all parties concerned will play a constructive role in bringing the JCPOA back on track and promoting the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue," Hua underlined.

All JCPOA parties must preserve deal, fully implement commitments: Joint statement

The remaining member states to the JCPOA say the deal should be preserved and all parties should fulfill their commitments.

Biden, who is to take office on Wednesday, has said he hopes to return the US to the deal, which was reached while he was vice president, but he has also indicated he would like to expand it.

The JCPOA was signed in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers and ratified in the form of Resolution 2231.

However, President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the deal in May 2018 and reinstated the anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted by the deal.

The Trump administration also targeted Iran with the so-called maximum pressure campaign, subjecting the nation to the “toughest ever” restrictive measures.

Iran rejects renegotiation of JCPOA under new US administration

Iran says no separate document is necessary to revive the 2015 nuclear deal after the IAEA chief called for a new accord with Tehran.

As the remaining European parties failed to live up to their commitments to keep trade with Iran despite US bans, the Islamic Republic moved in May 2019 to suspend some of its commitments under Articles 26 and 36 of the accord covering Tehran’s legal rights.

Tehran has, however, said that its countermeasures are reversible once Washington returns to the JCPOA, fulfills its commitments and ends its sanctions.

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