China, Russia and Iran hold nuclear talks in Beijing

China, Iran and Russia called for diplomacy over “pressure and threats” and an end to “all illegal unilateral sanctions” following talks on Tehran’s nuclear program Friday in Beijing, CNN reported, citing Chinese state media.

The meeting, attended by the three countries’ deputy foreign ministers, comes as Beijing aims to position itself as a power broker on the urgent international security issue, just days after US President Donald Trump said there were two ways to handle Iran: a deal or “militarily.”

“The relevant parties should be committed to eliminating the root causes of the current situation and abandon sanctions pressure and threats of force,” China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said Friday, according to Chinese state media.

Countries face pressure to find diplomatic solutions to manage Iran’s nuclear program – or trigger a return of United Nations sanctions – as a key deadline from a 2015 Iran nuclear deal looms.

Chinese officials have repeatedly voiced opposition to US sanctions on Iran and criticized the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign to deter the Middle Eastern country from developing nuclear weapons, launched after the first Trump administration withdrew Washington from the 2015 deal.