UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- Russia and China have publicly backed Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear program, rejecting Washington’s demands that Tehran abandon it, as Moscow’s envoy to the IAEA dismissed U.S. claims as built on “wrong assumptions” and Beijing called for Tehran’s “legitimate” nuclear rights to be respected.

In a post on X, Russia’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mikhail Ulyanov, slammed the U.S. for relying on “wrong assumptions” about nuclear non-proliferation. 

“Iran is not obliged to abandon its nuclear program. It is Iran’s inalienable right,” Ulyanov said, responding to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who claimed Iran had “broken the rules” and was enriching uranium to 60 percent with “no credible civilian purpose.”

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Thursday, China’s deputy permanent representative, Sun Lei, said “Iran’s legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy should be respected”. 

He noted that the current situation stems from the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, its “maximum pressure” campaign, and its launch of military aggressions while negotiations with Tehran were underway.

Sun also pointed out that Britain, France and Germany have “failed to fulfill their obligations under the JCPOA or exhaust its dispute settlement procedures,” warning that pushing for the restoration of sanctions at the Security Council “will undermine the unity and authority of the Security Council and obstruct diplomatic efforts.”

He said Beijing vetoed the Washington-backed draft resolution with the aim of preserving diplomatic efforts and addressing disputes over the Iranian nuclear issue through talks, adding that “the initiation of the ‘snapback’ mechanism

 was flawed both legally and procedurally.”
Sun noted that “the continued hostilities between the United States and Iran serve neither the interests of the parties concerned nor those of the international community,” and urged the U.S., Iran and other parties to resolve their disputes through dialogue and talks. 
“China has no selfish interests in the Iranian nuclear issue,” Sun emphasized, adding that China will continue working with all parties toward a political settlement.