Xi backs nuclear deal in talks with Iran leader

BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the Iran nuclear deal to be “earnestly” implemented as he met the country’s president following the US withdrawal from the pact, state media said Monday.

Xi met one-on-one with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Sunday following a two-day regional security summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao that also included Russia and former Soviet republics.

President Donald Trump announced last month the US was withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposing sanctions that would hit international businesses working in the Islamic republic.

The other parties to the deal — Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia — have vowed to stay in the accord but their companies risk huge penalties if they keep doing business in Iran.In his meeting with Rouhani, Xi described the deal as “an important outcome of multilateralism”, according to the official Xinhua news service. Xi said the deal is “conducive to safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East and the international non-proliferation regime, and should continue to be implemented earnestly,” according to Xinhua.

Rouhani said Iran expects the international community, including China, “to play a positive role in properly dealing with relevant issues”, the agency reported.Iran ‘highly sceptical’ on US-North Korea nuclear talks: Iran said Monday that it remains dubious about the prospects for talks between the United States and North Korea, and warned Pyongyang to be highly vigilant about Washington’s promises.

“As regards US behaviour, approach and its intentions, we are highly sceptical and look at its actions with utter pessimism,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters in Tehran. “For the time being we cannot be optimistic about the United States’ behaviour, and the government of North Korea must approach this issue with absolute vigilance,” he added.