In a joint statement, they stressed the necessity of lifting all unlawful, unilateral sanctions.

The meeting, presided by China's Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

China, Russia and Iran said that the relevant parties should be committed to addressing the root causes of the current situation and abandoning sanction, pressure or threat of force.

They stressed that dialogue based on "mutual respect" is the only practical solution for the issue, urging “relevant parties to refrain from taking any action that would escalate the situation” and undermine diplomatic efforts.

Beijing and Moscow also welcomed Iran's reiteration that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes and not for the production of nuclear weapons, and the Iran's commitment to fully comply with its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Safeguards Agreement.

The statement also stressed that Iran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy should be "fully" respected.

Iran has long been subjected to Western sanctions over its nuclear activities and other pretexts, the latest of which was imposed on Thursday.