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Following Iran's decision to enrich uranium, China urges all sides to exercise calm and restraint

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On Tuesday, China called for calm and restraint from all sides following the Iranian decision to enrich 20 percent of uranium at its Fordow facility.


During a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Iran nuclear issue is at a critical juncture and is "extremely complex and sensitive". 


"China urges all sides to exercise calm and restraint, to stick to the commitments of the agreement and refrain from taking action that might escalate tensions so as to make space for diplomatic efforts and a change in the situation," she said.


The top priority is to push the United States to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and remove all relevant sanctions, Hua continued, adding that doing so could help bring the agreement back onto "the right track."


Also Read: UN nuclear watchdog says Tehran will enrich uranium to 20%

Iran's move follows a bill passed by the Iranian parliament last month. It urged the government to implement a number of steps, including a boost in Iran's uranium enrichment, in case the European signatories to the JCPOA, namely Britain, France and Germany, fail to protect Iran's interests amid U.S. energy and banking sanctions. 


The landmark JCPOA, also known as the 2015 nuclear deal, was sealed between Iran and China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and the U.S. in 2015.
  

Nevertheless, in May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal, restored old sanctions and put new ones on the energy and financial sectors of Iran and called for a new agreement with the Islamic Republic under which further restrictions could be exercised on the nuclear activities of Tehran and curbs placed on the developing ballistic missile program of the country.

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