WANA (Apr 23) – Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, held an extended and “highly important” meeting with his Chinese counterpart during his visit to Beijing. Following the meeting, he announced that the two sides discussed nearly all issues related to bilateral relations and international matters, including Iran’s nuclear case. According to him, a “very good understanding” was reached between Tehran and Beijing on this matter.

 

The Iranian foreign minister emphasized China’s role as a “friendly and solution-oriented country in past negotiations,” expressing hope that this role would continue going forward.

 

Referring to discussions about U.S. policies, Araghchi criticized what he described as “bullying and hegemonic behavior by the United States in the international arena,” noting that this topic had also been part of his talks with the Chinese side.

He highlighted talks on future cooperation between the two countries and stated that a wide range of bilateral topics had been reviewed. According to him, the two sides also held consultations regarding the upcoming visit of Iran’s president to China and his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in September.

 

Addressing the indirect talks between Iran and the U.S., Araghchi described the current atmosphere as “optimistic but cautious,” adding: “There are very serious reasons for this caution. We see contradictory and inconsistent messages from the U.S. in the media.”

 

He noted that progress had been made on certain principles and concepts in the negotiations, but emphasized: “If the U.S. goal is solely to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, that is an achievable aim. However, if they insist on unrealistic and unreasonable demands, the negotiation process will face serious challenges.”

 

Araghchi also confirmed plans for the Iranian president’s upcoming visit to China, noting that discussions regarding this visit had taken place during his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister. He added that the visit would happen in the near future, followed by Iran’s participation in the SCO summit in September.