Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
Diplomats from China, Russia and Iran met in Beijing today demonstrating support for Iran. Today's meeting involved China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
Following the talks, Ma stressed China's support for "political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on mutual respect."
He added that the relevant parties should address the root causes while abandoning sanctions, pressure, or threat of force.
China-Russia-Iran ties
Both China and Russia enjoy close relations with Iran following various energy resource deals, and all three countries are fellow members of the BRICS alliance.
A point statement by China's Ma called for termination of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
The Trump letter
Last week, US President Donald Trump sent a threatening letter to Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing nuclear talks.
In an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast, Trump said "there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal".
Trump wrote a book, "The Art of the Deal", but seemingly has not recognized that deals on the international political stage should begin with negotiations while demonstrating mutual respect between all parties.
Trump has said his goal is to end US involvement in foreign wars. Trump recognizes Israel as the most important ally in the Middle East, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been insistent that Iran should be attacked militarily. Even during the fiercest fighting in the Israel-Hamas war, and the Israeli attack on Hezbollah, Netanyahu was hinting at a major attack on Iran.
Netanyahu knows he could not carry out such an attack without direct US involvement. Trump is aware of Netanyahu's plans but wants to avoid any new US-Israeli military projects. Trump wants to make a new deal with Iran to ease tensions in the Middle East but is using scare tactics to get the negotiations started.
Trump has a working relationship with Russian President Putin, and both are involved in seeking an end to the Ukraine war. China and Russia also have close ties, so it seems natural to exploit those relationships while seeking to achieve a deal between the US and Iran.
China's past success
On March 10, 2023, China brokered a normalization agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The deal called for the reestablishment of normal relations between the two countries following seven years of severed ties.
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