TEHRAN -- Iran’s top security
official on Monday hailed the launch of a 25-year partnership agreement with China amid U.S. sanctions, calling it “a strategic success” for the Islamic Republic.
“The start of the launch of the 25-year agreement between Iran and China, the world’s second-largest economy, that comes as the U.S. still seeks to deprive Iran of economic interaction with the world through unilateralism and the ongoing maximum pressure, is considered a strategic success for Tehran,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted.
Iran and China signed the landmark agreement in March last year to bolster their long-standing economic and political alliance.
The deal officially documents the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that had been announced during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to boost economic cooperation between the two countries for the next 25 years, and paves the way for Iran’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project stretching from East Asia to Europe.
Beijing has long sought to boost ties with Tehran, with President Xi describing Iran as “China’s major partner in the Middle East” on a rare visit to the country in 2016.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed final documents to announce the start of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries on Friday.
Washington’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign was launched under the former administration.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the landmark deal between Iran and six world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.
In an article published by China’s Global Times newspaper on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran and China have criticized the sanctions system as The Long Arm Jurisdiction and stood against the double standards of human rights and the politicization of sports issues while emphasizing the development of commonalities and common human values.
Leading U.S. magazine Foreign Policy also argued in a Thursday article that growing Sino-Iranian relations undermine the United States and secure China’s access to Iranian oil and other important commodities.
“For its part, Iran will get billions of dollars in Chinese energy and infrastructure investment, undercutting the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions” against the Islamic Republic, the article said.