China Calls on US to Stop Maximum Pressure Campaign on Iran

"The United States is not only unilaterally withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [the JCPOA -- the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers in 2015] and exerting maximum pressure on Iran, but is also imposing sanctions or threatening to impose sanctions on other parties within the agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a press conference on Friday.

She added that the US should "correct its erroneous policy" of exerting pressure on Iran, leave room for diplomatic efforts by other parties and create conditions to mitigate the situation in the region.

She warned that Washington's decisions, including its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, were only serving to complicate the situation in the region.

"We continue to believe that dialogue and negotiations are the only correct way to resolve Iran's nuclear issue," Hua said.

The Chinese diplomat expressed hope that all parties to the nuclear deal would be able to fully implement it.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the international deal, in defiance of global criticism, and later re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted against Tehran as part of the agreement.

In response to the move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the sanctions.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the international community has a responsibility to protect the 2015 nuclear deal which was the outcome of a multilateral endeavor.

 "The JCPOA is an achievement of international diplomacy and world countries are responsible for observing, implementing and protecting it," Araqchi said at a joint press conference with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu in Beijing.