China holds the key to passing a UN resolution on sanctions against Iran
Tehran is trying to get nuclear weapons
A top nuclear envoy of Iran, which has been insisting that its nuclear programme is for peaceful power generation, has called for international negotiations without threat of sanctions.
“Negotiations should be conducted with logic, not with pressure,” said Saeed Jalili in comments that were translated to Chinese from Farsi during his recent visit to China. “If negotiations and pressure occur at the same time, there’s no way these negotiations can go forward.”
Jalili went to Beijing in early April and met with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and the head of the Communist Party’s international affairs office, Wang Jiarui, in the wake of US reports saying China had dropped its opposition to possible new UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear ambition.
But Jalili evaded questions from journalists on whether China had confirmed to him that it had changed its position for a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran, according to a news report published in Khaleej Times.
“[Our] Chinese friends all say this problem can only be solved through negotiations and peaceful means,” Jalili said. “And some big countries should give up their incorrect actions. Pressuring through sanctions will be ineffective.”
China, which has veto power as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, holds the key to passing a resolution against Iran, which is believed by the West to be building nuclear weapons.
Beijing refused to announce in public whether it was willing to consider new sanctions against Iran, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterating China’s stance to resolve the issue through negotiations.
Earlier reports quoted UN diplomats as saying that the next round of sanctions against Iran would target its powerful Revolutionary Guard. These would include tougher measures against Iran’s shipping, banking and insurance sectors.
Washington is convinced that Tehran is trying to get nuclear weapons, a move which could trigger an arms race in the Middle East and destabilise the region.
