China, Russia and Iran have jointly called for an end to US sanctions on Iran over its nuclear development program.



The vice ministers of the three countries held talks in Beijing on Friday. They discussed Tehran's nuclear development and other issues.



The talks come after US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran earlier this month calling for negotiations on the nuclear issue.



But Iran has been pushing back against the US call, saying Washington is putting pressure on Tehran by threatening tougher sanctions.



China's state media has reported that a joint statement released after the talks emphasizes the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions.



It says all parties should work to eliminate the root cause of the problem, and that relevant parties should abandon sanctions, pressure and threats of force.



The statement calls for diplomatic efforts to solve the problem.



The vice ministers also exchanged views on global and regional issues in an apparent attempt to showcase their cooperation in dealing with the Trump administration.