Closer China-Iran ties could provoke US into ‘harsher’ response on nuclear issue, analysts say

Beijing’s successful multilateral talks with Tehran and Moscow may lead to more pressure from Washington, experts warn

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts the trilateral meeting with Iran and Russia on March 14, which Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:59pm, 21 Mar 2025Updated: 5:34pm, 21 Mar 2025

Washington is expected to ramp up pressure on Tehran in response to last week’s trilateral nuclear talks between China, Iran and Russia – given the hardening consensus in the US against both the meeting’s host Beijing and the Middle East nation.

Despite the pushback, China will continue to pursue multilateral negotiations on the nuclear issue, using them to reinforce its role as a key Middle East mediator and further expand its regional influence, according to analysts.

At the Beijing talks on March 14, the three nations reaffirmed their commitment to non-proliferation and jointly condemned “sanctions, pressure, or the threat of force”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also proposed a five-point plan for the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue that included a commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal that President Donald Trump pulled the US out of during his first term.

Tehran’s positive response to the talks – which came just days after Trump sought to engage Iran in bilateral nuclear negotiations – was in stark contrast to Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s swift rejection of the Washington proposal.

Khamenei said Tehran would not be bullied into negotiations after Trump announced he had written to Iran suggesting a restart to bilateral talks – followed by a declaration that the US would have to “go in militarily” if the Iranians did not want to negotiate.