China is hosting diplomats from Iran and Russia for talks on Iran’s nuclear program Friday as Beijing aims to position itself as a power broker on an issue seen internationally as a pressing security concern.

Senior Chinese and Russian diplomats said dialogue should only resume based on "mutual respect" and all sanctions ought to be lifted.

China, Russia, and Iran held talks in Beijing demanding an end to US sanctions on Tehran, while a sanctions expert expressed skepticism about lifting sanctions as a precondition for negotiations.

Beijing calls for diplomacy over escalation, with all 3 nations urging looking at 'root causes' of Iranian nuclear issue - Anadolu Ajansı

China, Russia and Iran called for an end to sanctions in nuclear talks hosted by Beijing, days after Tehran spurned US President Donald Trump’s call for negotiations.

The Kremlin, asked on Monday if Russia had held consultations with Iran before or after Tehran responded to a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump urging the country to negotiate a nuclear deal, said Iran formulates its own policy positions.

Though it harbours deep mistrust of the United States, and President Donald Trump in particular, Tehran is increasingly concerned that mounting public anger over economic hardships could erupt into mass protests,

A letter U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Iran's supreme leader in an attempt to jump-start talks over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program has arrived in the Iranian capital.

China, Iran and Russia called for diplomacy over “pressure and threats” and an end to “all illegal unilateral sanctions” following talks on Tehran’s nuclear program Friday in Beijing, Chinese state media said.