Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying speaks at a daily breifing. Photo: VCG

China is willing to work with France to push forward the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, China's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, told a regular media briefing on Tuesday that China appreciates France's efforts to de-escalate the current Iranian nuclear tensions.

Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron carried out diplomatic mediation on the Iranian nuclear issue and maintained close communication with leaders of the US, Iran, Russia and other countries to push forward dialogue to ease the tensions. 

Hua said that the root cause of the current Iranian nuclear tensions is the US' imposition of extreme pressure on Iran. 

"It's imperative for the US to abandon its wrong practices of exerting extreme pressure on Iran and avoid obstructing the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]. The US should respect the legitimate rights of relevant parties, address each other's concerns on the basis of mutual respect and equal dialogue," Hua said. 

"At the same time, all relevant parties should dedicate themselves to the thorough and effective enforcement of the JCPOA and ensure the balance of rights and obligations under the framework."

Iran said Tuesday it will attend a meeting in Vienna on Sunday of diplomats from countries still party to the 2015 nuclear deal, as they try to ­salvage the landmark agreement.

The hard-won deal has been threatened with collapse since the US withdrew from it last year and reimposed biting sanctions against Iran as part of a "maximum pressure" campaign.

"It was agreed to convene an extraordinary meeting of the JCPOA joint commission in Vienna on July 28," Iran's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The meeting would be held at the level of deputy ministers and political directors, the ministry said in an English-­language statement.