Iran ready to expand trilateral talks with Russia, China

TABNAK, Apr. 21 - Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has voiced Iran’s readiness to expand trilateral discussions with Russia and China, amid talks between the three countries on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program.

News ID: 6312

Date: 21 April 2025 - 11:06

“We have started trilateral talks between Iran, Russia, and China on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program for some time now,” Araqchi said in a Saturday interview with RT.

He said two such meetings have already taken place, adding, “We are ready to continue these talks and expand them to other issues.”

Tehran has deepened its relations with Moscow and Beijing in recent years, becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2023 and the BRICS group in 2024. Their military collaboration has also grown, with the latest example being joint naval exercises held by the three nations off Iran’s coast in March.

According to Araqchi, the three countries intend to further deepen their cooperation in order to promote global peace and security.

“Iran, China and Russia – in a coordinated move – can take effective steps towards international peace,” he said, adding that the three partners “are serious about this.”

Given the current international climate, he went on, working closely with Moscow and Beijing is “a necessity” for Tehran.

‘Iran-Russia ties have never been so close’

The remarks came as Araqchi paid a visit to Moscow to deliver a message from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The top Iranian diplomat said that relations between Iran and Russia have never been closer and so stronger than at the current moment.

“We have the same and close positions on many international issues. I do not want to say that there are no disagreements between us. Sometimes there are also differences of opinion, but in most cases we have close positions with each other and, most importantly, we are in constant exchange of views,” he added.

‘Tel Aviv will not be able to attack Iran’

Araqchi also dismissed the Israeli regime’s threats to strike Iran, saying the regime has never been able to attack Iran in the past and it will not be able to do so in the future.

He said that even with the support and help of the United States, the Tel Aviv regime will not be capable of carrying out military actions against the Islamic Republic.

“As I said, we can defend ourselves even against the U.S., and the United States knows how capable we are,” he said. “The Israeli regime also knows what our defense capabilities are and what our response to any attack would be.”