Iran s top diplomat to visit China on Tuesday

DUBAI - Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington due on Saturday in Oman.

In a trip to Moscow last week, Araqchi told state TV that Tehran always closely consults with its friends, Russia and China, over the nuclear issue.

It is natural that we will consult and brief China over the latest developments in Iran-U.S. indirect talks, Baghaei said, adding that Beijing can play a constructive role in this process.

Long-time foes Iran and the U.S. started negotiations earlier this month with the aim of placing limits on Tehrans nuclear programme, which Western powers say is geared toward developing nuclear weapons.

Tehran has long denied such accusations and seeks in exchange the lifting of U.S. sanctions that were re-imposed by President Donald Trump during his first term in office (2017-2021),when he withdrew from a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers, including China and Russia.

Since taking office in January, Trump has ratcheted pressure on Iran and has for the first time sanctioned Chinese teapot refineries - small, independent plants - that process Iranian crude oil and have provided an economic lifeline to Tehrans squeezed economy.

The policy of maximum pressure is not just against Iran but also other countries and goes against freedom of trade. In the case of China, sanctions also seek to disrupt south-south cooperation, Baghaei said.

Beijing accounted for at least 77% of Iran’s roughly 1.6 million bpd of exported crude in 2024, according to analytics firm Kpler. The value of Irans crude sales to China is not officially disclosed, but a Reuters calculation puts the trade at nearly $29 billion last year, assuming a 20% discount to Brent crude