Russia, China and Iran advocate diplomacy in resolving nuclear issue

At a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, the permanent representatives of Russia, China and Iran emphasized the importance of a political and diplomatic settlement of the issues around Tehran’s nuclear dossier, Russian envoy to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said.

On February 18, the permanent representatives of Russia, China, and Iran in Vienna held a meeting with Grossi.

"Particular emphasis was placed on the need for an exclusively political and diplomatic settlement of all existing problems in this context," Mikhail Ulyanov said.

The diplomat noted that this kind of cooperation between the three countries' diplomatic missions will continue, Izvestia reported.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that he would allow a maximum of 15 days to reach an agreement with Iran. CBS reported that the U.S. was considering the possibility of launching a military operation against Iran as early as February 21.

In January, the White House warned that it was prepared to use force if Tehran did not negotiate a fair deal involving the complete renunciation of nuclear weapons. However, the Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated that they have no intention of building an atomic bomb.

On February 17, the second round of Oman-mediated talks between the U.S. and Iran on the nuclear dossier took place in Geneva.