Despite objections from China and Russia, which said the United Nations Security Council had already ended its review of the Iran nuclear issue, the UN Security Council still held a public meeting early Wednesday morning and approved a procedural measure by vote. Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said in response that certain countries deliberately ignored the Security Council members' differences and concerns, forcibly pushed for the Security Council to reimpose sanctions on Iran, insisted on convening a Security Council meeting on an issue that has already been terminated, bearing full responsibility for the current difficulties facing the Council, China Central Television reported on Wednesday.

This move will not only deepen divisions within the Security Council, but will also seriously hinder the process of achieving a political resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Sun stated, noting that China is deeply concerned about this development and is disappointed with the outcome of the vote.

Sun stressed that threats of force or the imposition of war will only push the Iranian nuclear issue and the situation in the Middle East toward a dangerous abyss.

Sun said that the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its use of force against Iran on two occasions during the negotiation process have seriously damaged diplomatic efforts and are the primary cause of the current difficult and complex situation.

Sun said that the parties concerned should learn from past lessons, abandon power politics, engage in equal and sincere dialogue, commit to refraining from the use of force, and ensure the effective implementation of any future agreement in order to restore the confidence of the international community through concrete actions.

Maintaining the ceasefire is the top priority. The parties concerned should focus on peace and work toward preserving the ceasefire, ending the conflict, and reaching an agreement at an early date that serves the interests of all parties involved, Sun added.