CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN TO HOLD MEETING IN BEIJING TO DISCUSS IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

[HaiderAfan]

A high-level conference between China, Russia and Iran is scheduled to take place in Beijing with the goal of discussing Iranian nuclear program, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi will attend the meeting which is set for 14 March 2025, and will be headed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu given the growing global alarm over nuclear activities of Iran, meeting is taking place at a pivotal moment.

Since early in 2000s, international tensions have centered on Iranian nuclear program in 2015 Iran, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Russia signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal in return for lifting economic sanctions the agreement restricted nuclear activities of Iran but under President Donald Trump, United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, which caused relations to drastically worsen and Iranian nuclear operations to resume.

Uranium enrichment of Iran has surged in recent months approaching weapons grade purity, International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA has reported that enrichment processes of Iran are currently at their most advanced stage ever which has sparked fears around the world, rapid development of nuclear capabilities which may be used to create a nuclear weapon by Iran has alarmed the IAEA.

The upcoming gathering in Beijing is a component of Chinese endeavors to promote communication about the Iranian nuclear matter, China has long pushed for a return to the JCPOA framework while defending Iran right to engage in peaceful nuclear activity, the gathering will give the three nations a forum to debate possible future directions and share opinions over nuclear program of Iran, this involves looking into alternatives to using armed force or sanctions to handle global issues.

The Beijing gathering takes place at a time when tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated, in a recent letter, President Trump urged Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to resume nuclear negotiations, but Iran has rejected these attempts seeing them as phony and a component of a larger plot to coerce Tehran into making concessions. Iranian nuclear operations have significantly increased as a result of the American exit from the JCPOA and the consequent reimposition of sanctions as Tehran aims to use its nuclear program as diplomatic leverage.

Chinese geopolitical objectives in preserving Middle Eastern stability and guaranteeing the continuation of its commercial relations with Iran are reflected in its participation in these negotiations, China has continuously backed right to peaceful nuclear development of Iran and has been a major participant in the JCPOA negotiations, China hopes to foster a diplomatic solution that prevents further escalation and maintains the integrity of the JCPOA framework by hosting these discussions.

The international community will be closely monitoring the outcome of the Beijing gathering, if these discussions are successful they may open the door for new discussions between Iran and other JCPOA signatories, which might result in a revised agreement that takes into account both Iran's nuclear aspirations and global security issues, but there are still many obstacles in the way, such as Iran's insistence on keeping its current nuclear weapons and the United States' exit from the JCPOA.

Conclusion

In conclusion, attempts to confront Iran's nuclear program are at a turning point with the Beijing conference of China, Russia and Iran. Finding a diplomatic solution that strikes a compromise between Iranian nuclear aspirations and global worries about proliferation risks will be the main topic of debate, the capacity of all parties to participate positively and find common ground will be crucial to the success of these discussions as tensions continue to escalate. This might pave the way for more extensive discussions that could stabilize the area and stop future escalation.