Beijing wants the nuclear deal with Iran to be preserved after Tehran announced its partial suspension. China said US pressure on Iran was regrettable and said it will protect its companies from the threat of American sanctions.

China, one of the signatories of the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, said the deal needs to be saved and fully implemented.

“Defending and implementing the JCPOA is a joint responsibility of all parties,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said during a daily briefing, using the acronym for the full name of the agreement. “We call on all relevant parties to do everything to prevent the situation from escalating.”

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The official criticized US pressure on Iran, saying such measures only raise tensions over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Geng said China will protect companies dealing with Tehran from the threat of American sanctions. Beijing is one of the leading buyers of Iranian crude, while Washington threatens to punish purchasers with secondary sanctions.

Tehran announced on Wednesday that it was partially suspending its commitments under the deal, calling for European signatories to deliver on their promise to stand up to American pressure and protect Iran. The announcement came exactly a year after the US broke its part of the bargain and started re-imposing sanctions against Tehran, which had been lifted under the Obama-era deal.

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