China opposes US plan to extend Iran sanctions

Washington must stop illegal unilateral sanctions on Tehran, says Beijing's top UN envoy

China opposes a US move to extend the UN arms embargo against Iran, state-run media reported on Wednesday.

In a statement to the UN Security Council, Zhang Jun, China’s permanent UN representative, urged Washington "to stop its illegal unilateral sanctions" on Iran, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The root cause of the current crisis is the US’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and the reimposition of unilateral sanctions against Iran," he said.

He said Washington has decided to end the sanctions waiver for nuclear projects and was pushing for the extension of the UN arms embargo on Iran, which expires in October.

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"This has again undermined the joint efforts to preserve the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]," Zhang said.

He stressed that the agreement was endorsed by the UN Security Council and "is legally binding".

"We urge the US to stop its illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and return to the right track of observing the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 [of the UNSC]," he said.