EU presses China to push Iran towards nuclear deal

The European Union will push China on Wednesday to use its influence as Iran's main oil buyer to press Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear programme and de-escalate conflict in the Middle East.

In the wake of last month's US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, the European Union is seeking a deal in which Tehran would agree to lasting curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of US and international sanctions.

The EU and its three biggest members Britain, France and Germany are parties to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that Washington abandoned in 2018, which they hope to revive. Iran has always said its nuclear programme is peaceful and denies seeking a weapon.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday on the Brussels leg of a trip that also includes Berlin and Paris.

A senior EU official said part of the discussions between Kallas and Wang would cover the Middle East. China had a "unique relationship" with Iran, which it should use to urge Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons and to de-escalate the conflict, the official said.

Talks are also expected to cover familiar issues such as European unhappiness at China's relations with Russia during the war in Ukraine and disquiet over Chinese military operations in the South China Sea.

"In a volatile world, Beijing should use its growing strength to uphold international law," Kallas said in remarks released ahead of the meeting.

Trade is not on the agenda of Wednesday's discussions, although the EU is keen for more balanced economic ties with China and wants Beijing to free exports of minerals such as rare earths that are now curbed by licences.

Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to China for the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on 24-25 July.

The EU's push on China to influence Iran comes as it's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CBS News in an interview that Iran's key Fordow nuclear site has been "seriously and heavily damaged" after US bombing during the war.

"No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Araqchi said in the interview broadcast on Tuesday.

"The Atomic Energy Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran... is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government."

Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by US strikes on Iran's nuclear program, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government.

President Donald Trump has said the strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, but US officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the US military strikes last weekend.