Iranian top diplomat to visit China this week ahead of third round of nuclear talks

Monday, April 21, 2025 - Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Tuesday ahead of a third round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington due on Saturday in Oman.

The spokesperson of the ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, revealed this on Monday.

Recall that Araqchi, in a trip to Moscow last week, said that Tehran always closely consults with its friends, Russia and China, over the nuclear issue.

According to Baghaei, Beijing can play a constructive role in the process.

“It is natural that we will consult and brief China over the latest developments in Iran-U.S. indirect talks,” he said.

Iran and the US started negotiations earlier this month with the aim of placing limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme, which Western powers said is geared toward developing nuclear weapons.

However, Tehran has long denied such accusations and sought in exchange the lifting of US 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.

Trump, since taking office on January 20, 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 Tehran’s 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 is said to have accounted for at least 77% of Iran’s roughly 1.6 million bpd of exported crude in 2024.

The value of Iran’s crude sales to China is not officially disclosed, but a calculation puts the trade at nearly $29 billion last year, assuming a 20% discount to Brent crude prices to include the cost of logistics.

“China and Iran have maintained exchanges and contacts at all levels and in various fields. With regard to the specific visit mentioned, I have no information to offer at the moment,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.