While President Joe Biden’s administration still hopes to restore the Obama-era nuclear deal with the Mullah regime, Iran and China have pledged to deepen their military cooperation to confront the United States, media reports say.
The announcement to boost the China-Iran military ties was made following a meeting in Tehran between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, the Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported Thursday. “Beijing is keen to strengthen ties with opponents of the US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the daily added citing the Chinese sources.
The move comes as the Biden White House has failed to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal despite almost 12 months of talks. Tehran has used this time to increase its stockpile of near-weapons grade uranium and ramp up its nuclear weapons capabilities.
The South China Morning Post reported the boosting of China-Iran military ties:
China and Iran have vowed to step up defence cooperation, including more military drills, as the two countries move closer together under growing pressure from the United States.In a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Wednesday, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri said the two nations will work together on military training and exchange of knowledge, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.Wei was visiting Tehran on Wednesday, where he also met President Ebrahim Raisi and described his trip as taking place against the backdrop of the “current turbulent international situation”.“The trip reflects the importance of China-Iran relations and firm mutual support and joint progress,” Wei said, according to a Chinese defence ministry statement.“The Chinese military is willing to maintain strategic communication with the Iranian side, make good use of the cooperation mechanism, and promote practical cooperation, so as to push the relationship between the two militaries to a higher level”.
China’s deepening military ties with Iran is part of Beijing’s strategy to create an axis to confront the U.S. and its Western allies. Ahead of the Ukraine invasion, China and Russia formed a de facto military alliance. In November 2021, the Chinese and the Russian defense chief signed a five-year road map for broader military alliance.
Since President Biden took office, China and Iran have been working to step up their military cooperation. In March 2021, Beijing and Tehran signed a $400 billion economic and military deal. The agreement, which allows China to access to Iran’s oil and natural resources, also gives it access to Iranian military and naval bases, the media reports confirm.
In January 2022, China, Russia, and Iran held joint naval war games in the Indian Ocean. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated international terrorist organization, also took part in the trilateral war games.
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