TEHRAN – In a move to counter Western economic pressure and reinvigorate nuclear negotiations, Iran, China, and Russia are scheduled to hold trilateral talks in Beijing this Friday.

Announced by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Wednesday, the talks underscore Tehran’s strategic pivot toward Eastern powers as it seeks to dismantle U.S.-led sanctions and assert its role in an emerging multipolar world order.
 
The upcoming high-stakes trilateral meeting, which is set to include China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, will focus on dismantling 'unjust and oppressive sanctions' against Iran.

Additionally, the agenda will stress the need to strengthen cooperation within BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a means to counter Western dominance.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also confirmed the upcoming talks, stating that the discussions would focus on developments concerning the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.

Baqaei added that the talks "will also discuss and exchange views on other issues of interest to the three countries," including regional and international developments, as well as issues related to cooperation within the framework of BRICS and the SCO.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s support in a recent interview, stating, “We are in favor of restoring the original Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA,)” while criticizing U.S. efforts to link sanctions relief to unrelated geopolitical demands.

However, the Russian diplomat had some reservations, stating: “what is worrying is that there are some indications that the Americans would like this new deal to be accompanied by political conditions, insisting that there should be some verifiable arrangement for Iran not to support [Resistance] groups in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Syria, anywhere, which I don't think is going to fly.”

“To say that everybody has the right to project influence except Iran is unrealistic,” he asserted, rejecting Washington’s push to isolate Tehran regionally.  

Earlier on Saturday, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei delivered a scathing rebuke of Western diplomacy in a speech to senior Iranian officials, asserting that the U.S. and its allies try to use negotiations as a tool to extract concessions rather than resolve disputes.

“The expectations of bullying states will never be accepted,” he declared, condemning Washington’s framing of talks as a zero-sum game.  

The leader’s remarks reinforced his February warning against “unwise, unintelligent, and dishonorable” engagement with the U.S.—a sentiment echoed by other senior Iranian officials.

Araghchi condemns UNSC session as 'unprecedented'

Addressing another JCPOA-related development, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sharpened Iran’s critique of Western maneuvers during a post-cabinet briefing on Wednesday, condemning a closed-door UN Security Council session on Iran’s uranium enrichment—scheduled for the same day—as “an unusual and unprecedented approach.”

“This session has cast doubt on the goodwill of the countries that requested it,” Araghchi stated, urging the Council to focus on its “primary duty of maintaining peace and security” rather than advancing adversarial narratives.

He reaffirmed Iran’s openness to dialogue, noting, “We have always been ready to negotiate on equal terms regarding our nuclear program,” while underscoring ongoing talks with European powers, China, and Russia.  

Araghchi detailed Tehran’s diplomatic efforts: “In the past, we negotiated the JCPOA, and negotiations continue despite the U.S. withdrawal. We recently held a fourth round with European states, with another soon—all while advancing talks with China and Russia.”

He confirmed the upcoming trilateral summit with Eastern powers, stating, “We operate our nuclear program within the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) framework. It is dynamic, growing, and advancing, but we impose no limitations on ourselves outside that framework.”

The top diplomat also lambasted Europe’s “flawed policies,” accusing them of reneging on post-JCPOA commitments.

“After the U.S. withdrew, Europe pledged to uphold the deal but failed. They must now be held accountable,” he said, adding, “Our consultations with nations worldwide are extensive. We feel no isolation.”

JCPOA: A fractured legacy

Shortly after he moved back to the White House in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum that accused Iran of “destabilizing behavior,” reinstating sanctions against the West Asian country and rolled out plans to further strangle the country’s economy.

The directive’s stated goal is to bring Iran’s oil exports to “zero” through renewing the so-called maximum pressure campaign.

The maximum pressure campaign was first introduced in 2018 after Trump, during his first term, announced Washington’s official withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The subsequent campaign included the re-imposition and intensification of anti-Iran sanctions that had been removed under the JCPOA in exchange for limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities.

The unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reinstatement of sanctions were widely criticized as destabilizing and counterproductive.

Despite Iran’s adherence to the deal’s nuclear restrictions—a fact repeatedly confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) —the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy targeted critical sectors like oil, banking, and shipping, crippling Iran’s economy and exacerbating humanitarian challenges.

The campaign disproportionately harmed civilians, with inflation soaring and access to medicines dwindling, while failing to produce meaningful diplomatic progress.

European signatories, while advocating for the deal’s preservation, have struggled to offset U.S. pressure or provide Iran with tangible economic benefits.

The Biden administration’s efforts to revive the JCPOA since 2021 were initially seen as a potential step toward easing tensions. However, these attempts have largely failed to produce meaningful progress.

Meanwhile, Iran has incrementally scaled back its JCPOA commitments, enriching uranium to higher purity levels and restricting IAEA monitoring—a move it defends as a lawful response to the deal’s erosion.