UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy said Wednesday that parties concerned should take concrete measures to preserve and implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

"We hope that the parties concerned will take concrete measures to preserve and implement the JCPOA, which serves the shared interests of the international community," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said at the Security Council's semi-annual briefing on the implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA on Iran's nuclear program.

Speaking of its importance, the ambassador said that "the JCPOA, a multilateral agreement endorsed by the Security Council, has the effect of international law. It is an important achievement of multilateralism and is of crucial importance to safeguarding international nuclear non-proliferation regime and maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East."

Noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has for 15 consecutive times verified Iran's compliance with its nuclear related commitments under the JCPOA, the Chinese envoy said that "China appreciates Iran's efforts to implement the resolution and the JCPOA," adding that China hopes that other parties will effectively honor their commitments, respect Iran's legitimate requests.

The Chinese ambassador also expressed China's regret over U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and its unilateral sanctions on Iran. "We call upon the parties concerned to properly address the difficulties in maintaining normal economic and trade ties with Iran."

"China has always stood for political and diplomatic means to solve the Iranian nuclear issue. We are committed to consolidating international nuclear non-proliferation regime and safeguarding international and regional peace and stability," said the envoy.

During Wednesday's meeting, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo presented the latest secretary-general's report on the implementation of Resolution 2231. The Council's facilitator for the implementation of Resolution 2231, Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve reported on the work of the Council related to Resolution 2231.