China, Russia, and Iran held a joint meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report from Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Friday.
The meeting, which took place on Thursday, included IAEA representatives and the agency’s director general. It followed a visit to Beijing earlier this week by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
According to Xinhua, the discussions focused on the IAEA’s role in advancing a political and diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue. China also voiced its support for Iran’s engagement in dialogue with all relevant parties, including the United States.
In a previous trilateral meeting held in Beijing on 14th April, China and Russia reaffirmed their support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear ambitions, following a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the talks. According to the Tehran Times, the two nations praised Iran’s continued commitment to ensuring its nuclear program remains exclusively for peaceful purposes and welcomed Tehran’s ongoing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The statement also emphasized the importance of respecting Iran’s right to develop and utilize nuclear energy for civilian use, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The three countries underscored that all nations must avoid actions that could undermine the IAEA’s technical, objective, and impartial work.
China, in particular, has continuously expressed its support for dialogue between Iran and the United States. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a conversation with his Iranian counterpart, reiterated Beijing’s opposition to the use of force and what it called “illegal” unilateral sanctions. U.S. has recently sanctioned certain Chinese refiners for purchasing Iranian oil.
Earlier this week, on the podcast Secretary of State Marco Rubio has outlined a potential compromise. Speaking on a podcast earlier this week, Rubio indicated that the U.S. is open to Iran maintaining a civilian nuclear program—on the condition that it relies solely on imported nuclear fuel. This would allow Iran to operate nuclear reactors for power generation and other civilian uses, while denying it the capability to enrich uranium domestically—effectively blocking a potential path to nuclear weapons.
“This is similar to what many other countries do,” Rubio said. “If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one. But they must import enriched material.”
Rubio’s position marks a step back from earlier demands by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who had insisted on the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The USA and Iran will resume nuclear talks on Saturday.
