“Root cause is Washington”: China’s line on Iran at the UN

China’s Ambassador Fu Cong took the floor twice during the Council’s 27 October session on Iran’s nuclear file.

On the agenda

Speaking on the procedural vote, Fu said China echoed Russia’s position, which held that the meeting was convened under a “non-existent agenda item”. He argued that Resolution 2231 expired and terminated on 18 October last year. Convening under that item, he said, undermines the authority of Council resolutions, aggravates divisions and stands in the way of a political solution. China, he added, registers its serious concerns.

Main remarks

In his main statement, Fu placed the blame squarely on Washington. He said the United States’ withdrawal from the nuclear deal, its sanctions and its policy of maximum pressure are the root causes of the current predicament. He described the European snapback as legally and procedurally flawed, echoing a position Beijing and Moscow have held since the E3 triggered the mechanism in August 2025.

Fu said United States and Israeli strikes are the direct cause of the IAEA being unable to apply safeguards at the affected Iranian facilities. He called the IAEA Board resolution referring Iran to the Council extremely irresponsible, and insisted that political and diplomatic means are the only solution.

He closed with obligations on both sides. Iran, he said, should fulfil its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, and the United States should commit not to use force against Iran again.

The takeaway

Beijing’s message was twofold: the Council should not be discussing the file at all, but if it does, the burden of the crisis lies with Washington and its allies. On the remedy, however, China’s insistence that diplomacy is the only way out sits close to Pakistan’s own line at the Council, where Islamabad has pointed to the June memorandum it mediated as proof that negotiation, not pressure, delivers results.

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