UNITED NATIONS – A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy.

Repeated hostilities in the Middle East have caused serious harm and losses to the peoples of countries in the region, including Iran, while the spillover effects continue to expand, undermining the common interests of the international community, said Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

The parties concerned should renounce the use or threat of force, resume implementation of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding as soon as possible, and bring the Iranian nuclear issue back onto the track of a political and diplomatic solution, he said at a UN Security Council briefing on the issue.

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The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, its military action against Iran while negotiations were ongoing, and its policy of maximum pressure against that country are the main causes of the current complexity and intractability of the situation in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear issue, said Sun. "The United States should make a clear commitment not to use force again, engage in sincere negotiations with Iran, and ensure the effective implementation of any future agreement."

The parties concerned should handle their relations on the basis of equality and mutual respect, work to ease the current situation, and explore a comprehensive solution, he added.

The Iranian nuclear issue must be handled without double standards and with full respect for the legitimate rights and interests of the parties concerned. As a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Iran enjoys the legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. China takes note of and affirms Iran's repeated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons. China supports the United States and Iran in properly resolving their differences through rational and pragmatic negotiations, ensuring that Iran conducts peaceful nuclear activities in an orderly manner, and preventing any risk of nuclear proliferation, he said.

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"Distorting the historical context of the Iranian nuclear issue, disregarding the difficulties Iran faces in restoring safeguards and verification, insisting on pushing for the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran in the Security Council, and forcing the Council to intervene in the Iranian nuclear issue will not help the parties build trust or bridge differences," he said. 

"Under the current circumstances, the Security Council should play a constructive role and foster a positive and enabling atmosphere for dialogue and negotiations. Certain members should stop using the Security Council to advance their own political agendas and avoid creating new obstacles to the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue."

China has always stood on the side of peace, on the side of dialogue, and on the right side of history. As a participant in the Iran nuclear deal and a permanent member of the Security Council, China will continue to work with all parties and make unremitting efforts to advance the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and promote peace and stability in the Middle East, said Sun.

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Raising a point of order before the briefing, Anna Evstigneeva, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said her country was opposed to the convening of the meeting.

Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, expired on Oct 18, 2025, and the Iranian nuclear issue was removed from the agenda of the Security Council. The mechanism for reinstating earlier Security Council resolutions over the Iranian nuclear issue was not triggered for a number of legal and procedural reasons, she said.

Evstigneeva demanded a procedural vote. Sun also spoke to register China's opposition to the convening of the meeting. In the procedural vote, Russia and China voted against the convening of the meeting.