China and Russia joined Iran Friday to urge the end of Western sanctions after President Trump called this week for nuclear talks with Tehran, the two countries denounced the “threat of force”.
After interviews in Beijing with Russia and Iran’s foreign ministers to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, the Chinese government said the three countries have agreed that all parties should “abandon sanctions, pressure and threats of strength”.
It seemed to be a reference to the recent openings that Trump made towards Iran. Trump said last week that he had sent a letter to the Iranian government seeking to negotiate an agreement to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But he warned that the country should choose Between braking his rapid program and losing him in a military attack.
The meeting was the last sign of the narrow alignment of Beijing with Moscow and Tehran, and its ambition to become a key referee of international disputes. Earlier this week, the three countries organized joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman.
China and Russia adopt a very different approach from Iran now that they did not do it ten years ago. In 2015, they insisted first of all concluding an agreement with Iran to stop its nuclear weapon program before ending the sanctions. Russia has even taken a lot of Iranian nuclear fuel stocks as part of this arrangement.
The United States is now pursuing maximum political pressure with a threat of military action. But China and Russia continue a more cooperative and conciliatory approach. This means that the great powers are divided on how to approach Iran, which can give Tehran a diplomatic place to maneuver.
“Russia and China also point out to other countries that there are alternatives to US world leadership – that Moscow and Beijing are responsible actors who can take up the main world challenges such as nuclear weapons,” Andrea Kendall -Taylor, senior member for a New American Security, said a Washington research group.
The most worrying part of the Iranian program is the production of potential nuclear weapons materials that have been enriched at 60% purity, which is almost bomb. It could take about a week to convert it into 90% purity required for use in bombs that produce large nuclear detonations. Experts think that Iran could now have enough for about six weapons.
Russia and China have not presented a plan to eliminate or reduce the purity of the Iranian supply of potential nuclear weapons materials. They also did not approach the installation by Iran of more advanced centrifugal, which will increase the size of the stocks of materials enriched with the country.
The Iranian government said at the end of November that it would start to exploit advanced centrifuges to enrich more uranium, which could bring it closer to a nuclear weapon.
Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, published a five -point plan to treat the Iranian nuclear program. While calling for the end of sanctions against Iran, the plan also urged Iran to “continue to respect its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons”.
Beijing wants to show that “while the United States withdraws irresponsible from the Iranian nuclear agreement, China will also quickly hold this international commitment and will assume the responsibility of leadership,” said Shen Dingli, International Relations Bourser with Shanghai.
The message is also solidarity with Iran. “Even if the United States exerted extreme pressure, as long as Iran does not abandon its relevant commitments, it will always have friends,” said Shen. “Iran does not need to worry. In the end, it is a strategic game between China and the United States. »»
Iran’s supreme chief last week “The governments of intimidation” have described And seemed to repel the idea of negotiating with the United States.
The support of China and Russia could help Iran to appear less isolated, but Tehran could also have concerns.
“The Iranians, for their part, be very distrusted in Chinese, but especially from Russian participation in negotiations, because they fear that they are sold by Moscow in the context of an American-Russia agreement,” said Gregory BrewMain analyst of the Eurasia group. “They will seek the support of Russia while resisting any pressure to give us requests.”
China has a considerable lever effect on Iran: Chinese companies bought more than 90% of Iranian oil exports last year, often to major reductions at world prices, according to KPLER, a company based in Vienna specializing in monitoring Iran’s oil expeditions. Most of the other countries have refrained from buying Iran oil in order to comply with the sanctions led by the West aimed at persuading Iran to end its development of nuclear weapons.
Sales of the Iranian oil company in China represent approximately 6% of the Iranian economy, or half of public spending in Iran.
David E. SANGER contributed Washington and David Pierson from Beijing.
