Chinese, Iranian FMs hold phone talks

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

Abdollahian congratulated China on the successful annual "two sessions," and briefed Wang on the latest progress in negotiations of resuming compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran stands ready to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and resolve the final outstanding issues through consultation with related parties, so as to work towards a good agreement, said Abdollahian.

Iran thanks China for playing a constructive role in the negotiations, he added, voicing hope that China will continue to give support.

For his part, Wang said China always supports an early agreement on resuming compliance with the nuclear deal, and is open to and supportive of efforts to this end.

The Chinese side understands Iran's legitimate concerns, supports Iran in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests, and opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law, said Wang.

In the face of the rapidly evolving international and regional situation, China is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Iran to push the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue in a direction conducive to regional peace and stability.