“The role of China in the implementation of JCPOA, in achieving JCPOA, and now in sustaining JCPOA, will be pivotal,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 multinational deal under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear program verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Trump said he would reimpose sanctions – after a 90-day grace period for firms to wind down their activities – that had been lifted when the deal was agreed in 2015.
Washington has since told countries they must stop buying the OPEC producer's oil from November 4 or face financial consequences.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore
China is among the five remaining signatory countries to the nuclear deal who are against Washington’s unilateral action and trying to save the agreement.
Despite the warnings from Washington, Beijing said it would maintain normal trade ties with Iran, on the grounds that it opposed unilateral sanctions. Beijing has also rejected US request to cut Iran oil Imports.
China is Iran’s biggest trading partner, with two-way trade rising 19 per cent last year to US$37.2 billion.
Crude oil, minerals, plastics, steel, fruit and nuts are among China’s biggest imports from Iran, while mechanical equipment, textiles and chemical products are its biggest exports to the Middle Eastern nation, according to figures from the commerce ministry in Beijing.
Iran is also a major destination for China’s engineering and technology exports, and more than 100 Chinese companies operate there in areas as diverse as oil and gas exploration, rail and subway construction, telecommunications and car production.
