The meeting in Beijing follows a closed-door United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session convened by Western nations to ‘address Iran’s nuclear advancements.’
Iran’s strategic ties with Russia have strengthened since the Ukraine war, with both nations aligning closely with China. In January, Moscow and Tehran signed a strategic cooperation treaty, further solidifying their partnership.
Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov met Iran’s ambassador Kazem Jalali to discuss nuclear diplomacy amid reports that Moscow played a role in past U.S.-Iran backchannel communications.
China has positioned itself as a key mediator, hosting the upcoming nuclear discussions while maintaining strong relations with both Iran and Russia.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Deputy Foreign Ministers from Iran and Russia would attend, with discussions focusing on nuclear developments and sanctions relief.
Tensions over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions have escalated, with the U.S. seeking international backing for renewed negotiations. Iran, however, has rejected direct talks, insisting sanctions must be lifted first.
U.S. President Donald Trump last week sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging negotiations.
The letter was delivered on Wednesday to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi by Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic advisor to the UAE president.
However, Khamenei dismissed the offer, calling it an attempt to manipulate global opinion.
“We negotiated for years, reached a signed agreement, and then this individual tore it up,” he said, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal. “How can one negotiate under such circumstances?”
During his first term, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord, reimposed sanctions, and adopted a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Since returning to office in January, he has signaled a willingness to negotiate but reinstated aggressive sanctions and warned of military action.
Khamenei reiterated that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons but warned that increased pressure would only deepen hostilities. “If we wanted to build nuclear weapons, the U.S. would not be able to stop it. We ourselves do not want it,” he said.
The UNSC met behind closed doors on Wednesday after six member states—France, Greece, Panama, South Korea, Britain, and the U.S.—requested a briefing on Iran’s growing uranium stockpile.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reported that Iran has accelerated enrichment to 60% purity, edging closer to weapons-grade levels.
Iran originally agreed to curtail its nuclear program under the 2015 deal with world powers in exchange for sanctions relief. However, after the U.S. withdrew in 2018, Tehran gradually abandoned its commitments. Efforts by the Biden administration and European nations to revive the agreement stalled before Trump’s return to office.