China Welcomes Russian President’s Call for Iran Summit

We welcome the summit and appreciate Moscow’s attempts towards de-escalating tensions around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Lijian said on Sunday during a weekly breifing.

Beijing consistently supports the nuclear agreement and is dedicated to preserving peace and stability in the Middle East, he added.

Zhao also expressed China’s willingness to keep close contacts with related parties in order to advance the political settlement of Iran nuclear issues.

Recently, Putin proposed the summit to avoid further "confrontation and escalation" at the United Nations between Washington and Tehran.

"The issue is urgent," Putin said in a statement on Friday, adding that the alternative was "only further escalation of tensions, increasing risk of conflict - such a scenario must be avoided".

Speaking to reporters on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he was not yet informed of Putin’s initiative.

Trump further said he intended to trigger the so-called snapback of the UN sanctions which had been in place against Iran prior to the nuclear deal’s inking.

“We’ll be doing a snapback,” he told reporters. “You’ll be watching it next week.”

The 15-member UN Security Council on Friday voted against a US-drafted resolution to extend an arms ban on Iran. The United States suffered an embarrassing diplomatic defeat when the UNSC rejected the bid.

The US has become increasingly isolated over Iran at the Security Council since Trump pulled it out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in May 2018.

Washington was not expected to receive nine votes in favor, removing the need for Russia and China to wield their vetoes which they had indicated they were prepared to do.

The embargo on conventional arms is due to expire on October 18 under the terms of a resolution that blessed the Iran nuclear deal, signed in July 2015 and officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).