“The Iranian nuclear issue is at crucial crossroads,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing.

“Initiating the snapback process at the (UN) Security Council is not constructive move which will disrupt the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means,” Guo warned.

Beijing’s reaction came against a move by Germany, France, and the UK -- known as E3 -- on Thursday, which triggered the mechanism for reinstating UN sanctions in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

The move has been condemned by Iran, which called it “legally void.”

Russia, one of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, said the move by European countries was “in breach” and “absolutely has no legal bearing because they were not implementing (UN Security Council) Resolution 2231 in good faith.”

“China believes the current moves by the Security Council should contribute to resuming dialogue and negotiations rather than creating new confrontation and lead to escalation of the situation,” said the ministry spokesman Guo.

Guo stressed that Beijing “will continue uphold an objective and fair position, play a constructive role in bringing the issue to track of diplomatic settlement as early as possible.”

Russia and China have together put into a blue draft a council resolution, Russian charge d'affaires to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

The draft "technically extends for six months till 18 April, 2026, the 10-year term after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) adoption day," he said.

Notably, the US has welcomed the decision by the E3 nations.