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China urged calm and restraint on Tuesday after Iran said it had resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, which breaches a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers, including China, Reuters reported. 

The enrichment decision, Iran's latest contravention of the accord, coincides with increasing tension between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump's administration.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Iran nuclear issue was at a critical juncture and was "extremely complex and sensitive".

"China urges all sides to exercise calm and restraint, to stick to the commitments of the agreement and to refrain from taking actions that might escalate tensions, so as to make space for diplomatic efforts and a change in the situation," she told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

"The urgent task at hand is for all sides to push the United States to return unconditionally to the agreement and remove all relevant sanctions," Hua said. Doing so could help bring the agreement back onto "the right track", she said.