Iran will hold nuclear talks with Russia and China on Friday in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed.
This comes as Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian rejected US negotiations over its nuclear programme while being threatened, telling Donald Trump to “do whatever the hell you want”, according to state media.
“It is unacceptable for us that they [the US] give orders and make threats. I won’t even negotiate with you. Do whatever the hell you want,” Iranian state media quoted Mr Pezeshkian as saying.
His stance aligns with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who warned against being bullied into talks. Iran denied receiving a letter from the US president seeking a new nuclear deal and responded with a series of statements.
China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the talks on the nuclear issue with Russia and Iran will be chaired by vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu. Even though the details of the agenda were not disclosed, the meeting in Beijing is expected to revive ways to explore diplomatic efforts as the Trump administration pushes for a new nuclear deal, Iranian media reported.
According to the UN’s monitor, Iran has made rapid advances in its nuclear programme in recent years.
Mr Trump has stated his desire to negotiate a new deal with Iran to curb its nuclear programme. On Friday, he warned that Iran could either engage in talks or face the risk of its nuclear programme being targeted.
“I’ve written them a letter, saying I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily it’s going to be a terrible thing for them,” Mr Trump told Fox Business. “There are two ways Iran can be handled – militarily, or you make a deal,” Mr Trump said. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I am not looking to hurt Iran.”
While signalling openness to a deal with Tehran, Mr Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign from his first term, aiming to isolate Iran economically and cut its oil exports to zero.
On Monday, he escalated pressure further by ending a sanctions waiver that allowed Iraq to purchase electricity from Iran. The US State Department said on Sunday that the decision to end Iraq’s sanctions waiver was made to “ensure we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief”.
Iran supplies one-third of Iraq’s gas and electricity, generating significant revenue for Tehran.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Baghdad on Sunday urged Baghdad “to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible”. The spokesperson added: “The President’s maximum pressure campaign is designed to end Iran’s nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.”
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi lashed out at Mr Trump’s nuclear deal offer and said that Tehran would “not negotiate under pressure and intimidation”.
He wrote on X: “We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be. Negotiation is different from bullying and issuing diktats.”
He said: “Iran’s nuclear energy programme has always been – and will always remain – entirely peaceful. There is fundamentally therefore no such thing as its ‘potential militarisation’”.
Iran's nuclear energy program has always been—and will always remain—entirely peaceful. There is fundamentally therefore no such thing as its "potential militarization".
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 9, 2025
We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the…
Mr Khamenei, without naming the US, said that “some bully governments insist on negotiations”. He said: “Their negotiations are not aimed at solving problems, they aim at domination.”
He continued: “The issue is not just the nuclear issue. They are setting new expectations that these new expectations will definitely not be met on the part of Iran.”
Meanwhile, Mr Pezeshkian’s comments come in the wake of China, Iran, and Russia’s joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz – showcasing military cooperation amid regional tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and Houthi threats.
The exercises, called “Maritime Security Belt 2025”, included live-fire drills and drew observers from several countries. While China and Russia don’t regularly patrol the Middle East, both have strong ties to Iran – China as a major buyer of Iranian oil and Russia as a recipient of Iranian drones for its war in Ukraine.
