TEHRAN – Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China are scheduled to hold a second-round trilateral talks in Moscow on Tuesday, bolstering collaboration to address the challenges surrounding Tehran’s private nuclear programme.
The meeting follows a March 14 session in Beijing, during which time the trilateral countries reportedly agreed to end unilateral sanctions, support peaceful nuclear development and support dialogue against intervention.
The consensus also reaffirmed Tehran’s right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, as recognized under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
They also pledged to coordinate within the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to advance diplomatic solutions.
Iran’s Deputy Minister Kazem Galibabadi took part in the Beijing session alongside Russia’s Deputy Minister Lyabakov Sergei Aleksevich and China’s Deputy Minister Ma Chaoks.
Iranian ambassador for Moscow Kazemujalali outlined the agenda for Monday’s Moscow session, saying, “Tuesday’s expert-level discussion focuses on sustainable solutions to the nuclear issue and is based on the progress of previous dialogue.”
He emphasized that Tehran “will counter unilateral Western actions and defend Iran’s legitimate rights in order to ensure uninterrupted strategic consultations between Russia and China.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously announced the meeting, saying, “Russia continues to work to resolve nuclear issues through dialogue and continues to coordinate closely with Iran and Chinese partners.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova also confirmed this, noting that Moscow, Beijing and Tehran aim to “harmonize positions” ahead of key diplomatic forks.
Zakharova previously condemned European attempts to trigger snapback mechanisms as “illegal” and argued that Western countries confiscated moral authority after the US withdraws from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA).
“The US violation of UNSC Resolution 2231 created this crisis,” she argued, referring to Russia’s opposition to unilateral punitive measures.
China’s participation in future talks is consistent with a broader push to challenge Western domination.
The JCPOA has been in crisis since it re-imposed sanctions that sought to put considerable pressure on the livelihoods of Iranian people since withdrawing in 2018 under President Donald Trump.
In response to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution in November 2024, Tehran denounced Iran for “inadequate cooperation” without addressing Western non-compliance, and deployed oversight of all IAEAs.
Iran has long argued that its enrichment activities comply with international regulations and are not intended to develop nuclear weapons.
European signatories (France, Germany, UK) later threatened to activate the snapback clause. This rejected the movements of Iran, Russia and China as legally invalid.
The recent threat of US military action against Iran has overshadowed diplomatic efforts.