BEIJING — Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday that China intends to strengthen its cooperation with Iran, an indication that Beijing would oppose growing calls in the West for additional sanctions against the Islamic regime for its nuclear program.
Earlier this month, Tehran revealed that it was operating a previously undisclosed uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom, deepening suspicions in Europe and the U.S. that Tehran seeks atomic weapons.
But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was rebuffed in Moscow this week when she sought support for a united warning to Iran of the consequences of refusing to prove that its nuclear program is peaceful.
Washington had hoped that Moscow was warming to the idea of tougher sanctions after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said they were sometimes inevitable. But ever since, the Russians have been backtracking from that remark, saying threats of such measures are unhelpful in negotiations with Iran.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in Beijing on Wednesday that talking about sanctions was “premature.”
Wen’s remarks Thursday appeared to suggest that Beijing also is unlikely to accept any new U.N. sanctions resolution. China and Russia are both veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council and have long defended Tehran by watering down resolutions.
Wen said China was committed to promoting the peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue and playing a constructive role in the process, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said. However, he gave no further details on what role China would play.
