By
Warren Beatty
Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi
signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement in 2021. China now has its strongest ever economic foothold in Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the agreement provides a “deep, multilayered and fully fledged” pact to enhance trade, economic and transport cooperation that will be “very effective in deepening” relations with China. University of Tehran professor Mohammad Marandi, who is close to the Iranian regime,
said, “This strategic partnership is important because it allows Iran and China to build a roadmap for long-term relations that will be much more fruitful. It’s also a signal being sent to the United States. The more the U.S. tries to isolate Iran and China, the more it causes countries like Iran and China to move more closely to each other.” China views Iran’s economic situation as an opportunity to capitalize on Iran’s limited bargaining power with the West.
In an effort to revive the Iranian nuclear Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) talks, Enrique Mora, European Union deputy foreign policy chief, traveled to Tehran in May 2022. However, ties with China enacted before Mora’s visit indicated that Iran was preparing a
backup option: China. An Iranian diplomat said, “From a general point of view, it is worth remembering that in Tehran the ‘Look to the East’ option has always been considered by Khamenei’s circle in the ‘Daftar-e-Rahberi’ [the Office of Iran’s supreme leader] as a realistic alternative, though not the favorite one, when it comes to establishing viable and sustainable economic and political relationship with other strong economic realities.”
Iran’s ruling clergy has increasingly turned to China for economic, political, and technological support. In April 2022, Chinese defense minister General Wei Fenghe met in Tehran with Iranian army chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri. Both agreed to increase military cooperation. They discussed strategic, defense, and security relations. Wei
said his visit was “important against the backdrop of the current turbulent international situation and shows the importance of China-Iran relations.” Wei
offered, when he met with Iranian oresident Ebrahim Raisi, to “make good use of cooperation mechanisms, push forward pragmatic cooperation and bring military ties to a higher level.”
Iran wished to acquire Chinese weapons and equipment. According to Sina Azodi, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., “Iran is also very interested in expanding its military cooperation and acquiring Chinese military equipment, especially fighter aircrafts. So there is a good chance that those issues were discussed too.”
There may, however, be trouble brewing. The 25-year strategic cooperation agreement has caused
discussion among Iranians about the effects of stronger ties with China. Inexpensive Chinese exports have, for over a decade, flooded Iran, undercut Iranian manufacturers’ and artisans’ profits, and put them out of business. Many Iranians say the agreement has “sold Iran to China.” China is using
cheap consumer goods to obtain Iranian oil. Iran provides China with large quantities of greatly discounted oil (a commodity upon which Biden won’t enforce sanctions). Most Iranians, hard hit by the results of sanctions, inflation, and economic mismanagement, as well as the trade agreements with China, are forced to purchase the cheaper Chinese goods. As a result, many Iranians have developed a hatred for China and a sense of betrayal by their own leaders.
There was rare good news from the Middle East War yesterday in the form of the big Hezbollah announcement’s abject failure. I’d previously reported that, all week long, the bigger and meaner Hezbollah terrorist group had advertised a “major announcement,” including releasing a theatrical trailer that showed someone pushing a “launch” button (labeled in English). I’m not making that up.
