The Jerusalem Post reports: “China and Russia stood by Iran on Friday after the United States demanded nuclear talks with Tehran, with senior Chinese and Russian diplomats saying dialog should only resume based on ‘mutual respect’ and all sanctions ought to be lifted.

In a joint statement issued after talks with Iran in Beijing, China and Russia also said they welcomed Iran’s reiteration that its nuclear program was exclusively for peaceful purposes, and that Tehran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy should be ‘fully’ respected…”