"China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun commented on the UK, France and Germany's (E3) decision to impose 'snapback' sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. "Activating the 'rapid restoration of sanctions' mechanism at the Security Council is not constructive and will undermine the political and diplomatic process for resolving the Iranian nuclear issue," he said. "China believes that any action taken by the Security Council at this juncture should contribute to resuming dialogue and negotiations, rather than creating new confrontations that could worsen or even escalate the situation," he continued. He stressed that China will continue to uphold an 'objective and impartial stance' on the Iranian nuclear issue. The E3 group has been in talks with Tehran over recent months. 'Snapback' means the return to those UN sanctions on Iran which were lifted under the 2015 deal, in return for the country limiting its nuclear programme. Donald Trump's first administration withdrew from the deal in 2018, and the current US government has not been involved in talks since the Israel-Iran conflict in June. The move by the European nations could see sanctions reimposed within 30 days. Tehran has said that the three nations have 'no legal jurisdiction' and said that it was prepared for 'fair and balanced talks' if the E3 showed 'seriousness and goodwill'. Meanwhile, Guo claimed that the US violated its joint communique with China after its top senators visited Taiwan for discussions on security. "[It] undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and sends a gravely wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," he stated. "Cease interfering in China's internal affairs under any pretext, stop condoning and supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, halt official exchanges between the US and Taiwan, and cease creating factors that heighten tensions across the Taiwan Strait," he added. This comes after US senators Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer visited Taipei on Friday to discuss Taiwan's security amid rising tensions with China. During the press conference, the spokesperson also confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un were welcome to attend festivities marking the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in China."