Iran's top nuclear negotiator has said following talks in China that Tehran and Beijing have agreed that sanctions are not effective.
Speaking on the second day of his visit to China, Said Jalili also warned the West to stop "threatening" Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.
"We think that China, as a great nation with significant power, can also play the same role against those wrong policies and wrong methods that some others nations are using today," Jalili said.
The remarks came as President Barack Obama said the United States would continue to "
ratchet up the pressure" on Iran," but would do so with unified international backing. He made the remarks in an interview with U.S. television aired today but taped earlier this week.
In Beijing, Jalili said international sanctions would not prevent Tehran from pursuing its nuclear program. Asked if China backed a potential new round of UN sanctions against Iran, he said, "It's up to China to answer that."
China has veto power in the UN Security Council, and its support would be key to passing a resolution against Iran, which is suspected of developing nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful power generation.
compiled from agency reports