China urges more Iran-P5+1 talks

Following Iran’s talks with major world powers, a senior Chinese diplomat says the West’s standoff with Tehran cannot be resolved with “one or two rounds of dialogue.”

“The Iranian nuclear issue is complicated and sensitive, and obviously cannot be comprehensively resolved through one or two rounds of dialogue,” China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Hailong said on Monday.

“But still, each side needs to be dedicated to talks and negotiations in a flexible and pragmatic spirit, create mutual trust and make efforts to solve the issue comprehensively and appropriately,” Reuters quoted Wu as saying.

The comments come while Iran has repeated said that the talks with the P5+1 — the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — do not include its nuclear program, which it regards as a resolved issue.

Iran and the P5+1 wrapped up their second round of comprehensive talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday.

The Iranian delegation was headed by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili and Ashton chaired representatives from the six world powers.

In a press conference following talks, Jalili said Iran is “still prepared for further negotiations with the P5+1, based on common issues.”

“Fuel swap can be the basis for cooperation between nations… and it could be a subject for further negotiations,” Jalili added.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program, and used this pretext to pressure the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s financial and military sectors in June.

Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the NPT and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran has a right to use peaceful nuclear technology.