Nuclear Deal: China opposes US withdrawal

Chinese government has opposed US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Chao Li Jian, disclosed this on Friday May 29, 2020.

At a press conference in Beijing on Friday, Chao Li Jian said that the United States has taken a unilateral step by withdrawing from the nuclear agreement and exerted severe pressure on Iran, and not only did it violate UN Security Council resolutions, but rather put obstacles in the way of other parties to prevent it from implementing the decision.

“Lifting the exceptions of the Iranian nuclear agreement harmed the international process to ban the development of nuclear weapons and the efforts of the international community to defend the nuclear agreement, and this indicates unilateralism and American hegemony,” he said.

He stressed that improving the Arak heavy water reactor is an important topic in the nuclear agreement and is also a joint project of the parties to the agreement, stressing that China, in agreement with other parties, declares its firm support for the nuclear agreement and its defense of its legitimate interests.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday, “I announce the end of exceptions to the sanctions related to all nuclear projects in Iran.”

In practice, this decision means that countries that remain committed to the international agreement concluded with Iran on its nuclear program and are involved in these Iranian civilian nuclear projects are subject to US sanctions if they do not withdraw from these projects. This concerns Russian, Chinese and European companies.

Tehran confirmed on Thursday that the US decision was a “desperate attempt” that would not affect the Islamic Republic. A spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Herhroz Kamalundi, said ending these exceptions was aimed at “diverting the attention of public opinion from the (Washington) defeats that continue to confront Iran.”

Pompeo set another deadline, which expires within sixty days, to allow companies and entities involved in these activities to end their operations.

On the other hand, the American minister announced that Washington renewed for a period of 90 days the exemption granted to the international support program for the Bushehr reactor, with the aim of “ensuring the security of operations” at this nuclear thermal plant.