China on Wednesday called on the United States and Iran to advance negotiations toward a comprehensive resolution of the conflict, while reiterating its opposition to unilateral sanctions on Tehran.

Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China has consistently maintained that unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran should be lifted as soon as possible.

“We hope the US and Iran will jointly implement the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding that has already been signed and move negotiations forward to achieve a comprehensive solution at an early date,” Guo said.

The remarks came as Qatar hosted separate rounds of talks involving US and Iranian delegations on Tuesday and Wednesday amid renewed diplomatic efforts.

The US envoys arrived in Doha after Donald Trump announced on Monday that Iran had requested a meeting in the Qatari capital.

Tehran, however, denied that any direct negotiations with Washington had been scheduled, while confirming that consultations through intermediaries were continuing.