ISTANBUL

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Beijing values Iran's repeated reaffirmation of its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons.

According to a statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two leaders met in Beijing, which marked the first meeting between the two presidents since Israel and the US carried out airstrikes on Iran in June.

Xi said that bilateral relations between Beijing and Tehran were maintained despite “volatile” international situations, adding that Beijing has always put its relations with Iran “at the forefront of its Middle East diplomacy.”

Beijing stands ready to continue its friendship with Iran, and deepen mutual cooperation in areas such as “trade, investment, clean energy, and connectivity, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and jointly promote the steady and long-term development of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership,” Xi told Pezeshkian​​​​​​​.

Pezeshkian is in China to witness a military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square that would mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, on Sept. 3.

Stressing that the use of force is not the correct way to resolve differences, Xi said that China “values Iran's repeated reaffirmation of its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, respects Iran's right to peacefully use nuclear energy.”

Xi added that China supports Iran in “safeguarding its national sovereignty,” as well as in “protecting its legitimate rights and interests” through political negotiations.

Earlier today, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that two recent rounds of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ended without results.

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said no decision has been made on whether the negotiations will continue.

“So far, two rounds of meetings have been held at the level of the IAEA Deputy Director General with Iranian officials from the Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization, but no definitive results were reached,” Baghaei said.

Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog following US and Israeli attacks on the country, accusing the IAEA of bias against Tehran.

On June 13, Israel launched a surprise attack on Tehran, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites, as well as senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. The 12-day conflict ended under a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24.