Ed Sheeran unveils Persian-titled track 'Azizam' with Iranian artists

"China is always opposed to the abuse of illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. "The US should stop interfering in and undermining normal trade cooperation between China and Iran."

Her statement came a day after the US State Department announced sanctions against a crude oil and petroleum products storage terminal in the port of Huizhou, China, for receiving and storing Iranian-origin crude oil from a blocked tanker.

According to the US State Department, the terminal, offloaded approximately one million barrels of Iranian crude in late January 2025 from the US-designated tanker formerly known as Spirit of Casper and Nichola.

The State Department said Chinese terminals play a critical role in facilitating Iran’s energy exports and sustaining its revenue streams.

Washington has been ramping up sanctions on Iran's oil exports, as part of US President Donald Trump renewed "maximum pressure" campaign, aimed at cutting Iran’s oil exports to zero in a bid to force Tehran into talks over its nuclear program.

The latest measure on Thursday appears to have pushed China over the edge to censure publicly the Trump administration's targeting of Chinese entities.

"China will take all necessary measure to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," Mao warned in her statement.

Beijing hosted senior Iranian and Russian officials last week in a show of growing alliance between the three countries as the stand-off over Iran's nuclear program inches toward military confrontation.

"Now the situation has reached a critical juncture again," Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, said. "We must buy time for peace, resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, and oppose the use of force and illegal sanctions."

Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that the Islamic Republic had agreed with China and Russia that any future talks over Iran's nuclear program must not stray into other issues.

"We made our position clear and China and Russia take the same position and have always maintained that non-nuclear issues won’t be part of the nuclear talks," Gharibabadi said. "This is the position of all three countries."

The three countries in an earlier joint statement emphasized the need to address the root causes of the nuclear standoff. They condemned unilateral sanctions as illegal and underscored Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

“Nowruz is a joyous occasion for the Persian people, marking the beginning of spring, and the Persian New Year. This long-standing tradition presents a time to reflect on the blessings of the previous year and prepare for the coming spring with a renewed spirit of optimism,” he said in a message published by the White House on Wednesday.

The US has one of the largest expatriate population of Iranians abroad with numbers estimated to be around 620,000 in California alone, according to the Harris Poll and UCLA research.

Research from the United Nations Population Division in 2019 found that the US is the most popular destination for Iranians living abroad.

In his message, he highlighted the contributions of Iranians to various fields, saying, “The Persian people with their vibrant culture and exceptional talents in fields such as math, science, law, technology, and the arts, make many integral contributions to society.”

Trump’s statement comes amid a renewed policy of maximum pressure on Iran, including tough economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

A letter he sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, seemingly set conditions for de-escalation, calling for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program, impose strict limits on missile development, and halt support for regional armed groups.

While Trump has voiced a preference for diplomatic means with Iran, he has not ruled out military options, while Khamenei has banned talks with the US under the current conditions.

The IRGC, including its Qods Force, is designated by the US as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and has been linked to armed groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The US government has accused the Chinese nationals—Liu Baoxia, Li Yongxin, Yung Yiu Wa, and Zhong Yanlai—of using front companies to illegally procure and transfer US electronic components to Iran.

“Beginning as early as May 2007, Liu and her associates allegedly utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to send dual-use US-origin electronic components to IRGC-linked companies that could be used in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses,” the State Department said in its announcement.

The Justice Department charged them in January 2024 with conspiring to smuggle thousands of restricted components for use in Iranian drones and missile systems.

Last week, Rewards for Justice offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that could disrupt financial networks supporting a drone-production arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Qods Force called Kimia Part Sivan Company (KIPAS).

The company has also sourced key drone components from foreign suppliers, according to US officials.

"Today, on 17 March 2025, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rejected Iran’s preliminary objection in the case of Flight PS752," a UK Government spokesperson said.

"This decision takes us a step closer to holding Iran to account for its illegal downing of Flight PS752 in January 2020."

The ICAO Council's decision allows Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom to proceed to the next phase of their case against Iran, which alleges the downing of the civilian airliner was unlawful.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed the ruling on X, saying, "Iran attempted to challenge the jurisdiction of the ICAO Council regarding the complaint over the downing of the civilian airliner. But the Council ruled in favor of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK and moving the case to the merits."

The Boeing 737-800 NG, operating flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv, was shot down by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew. Iran initially denied responsibility but later admitted its air defense operator mistakenly identified the plane as a hostile target.

The ICAO ruling comes after years of legal battles and demands for accountability from the families of the victims. "We remain committed to seeking justice, transparency, and accountability for the 176 innocent victims and their families," the UK government spokesperson said.

The Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims welcomed the decision, saying, "Now, with this condemnation, it is clear to all how little credibility this regime and its deceptive statements hold in the international community."

The four countries initiated a dispute review at ICAO in January 2024, alleging Iran violated the Chicago Convention, which guarantees the safety of civilian flights. They have also filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Iran's Foreign Ministry criticized the legal actions as hasty and unjustified, maintaining the downing of the plane was not intentional or deliberate. Ali Mousavi, the ministry’s director-general of legal affairs, urged the four countries to reconsider their stance.

Families of the victims have also pursued legal action within Iran, but have criticized the process for lacking transparency. Lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, representing several families, said they were denied access to key evidence.

The session, held during the UN Human Rights Council meeting, included discussions on minority rights, state repression, and accountability.

A panel hosted by the Baha’i International Community, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, and the Impact Iran coalition examined the systematic targeting of Baha’is. The event featured Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, alongside prominent rights advocates.

"The interviews with 56 Baha'is with direct experience of persecution offer powerful firsthand accounts that cannot be ignored," Sato said. "The report argues that the Baha'i people of Iran have long been subjected to a systematic process of othering by the state."

The 1979 constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has on several occasions called the Baha'i faith a cult and in a religious fatwa in 2018 forbade contact, including business dealings, with followers of the faith.

Baha'is, who number around 300,000 in Iran, say their rights are systematically violated and they are often harassed, forced to leave their homes and businesses, and are deprived of government jobs and university education.

"Bahai women face intersectional discrimination, persecuted both as women and as a member of a religious minority," Sato said. She cited reports of ten Baha’i women in Isfahan being sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison and stripped of assets.

Speaking at the event, Roya Boroumand, director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, addressed broader societal changes.

"The Iranians are secularizing, their distancing themselves from Islam, from religion altogether, or they are converting to Zoroastrianism or Baha’ism or Christianity," she said. "For the theocracy, losing its Muslims is a disaster."

The day concluded with a screening of a documentary presented by rights group Justice for Iran, highlighting the courage of protesters and whistleblowers who exposed atrocities during the November 2019 protests.

It heard testimonies from witnesses, victims, and experts on the Iranian government’s violent crackdown, which resulted in the deaths of at least 1500 protestors and mass arrests.

Azadeh Afsahi, a psychotherapist and human rights advocate, spoke about the dangers of dehumanization. "During the Rwanda genocide, Tutsis were called cockroaches. Under Nazi Germany, Jews were called rats. It happened before and it's happening now," she said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has used otherization to drive its agenda of violence."

As international attention remains on Iran’s human rights record, rights groups continue to document abuses and call for accountability. "Despite these challenges, the Baha'i community demonstrates remarkable resilience," Sato said.