As President Donald Trump prepares to visit China, Iranian Ambassador to Beijing, Abulreza Rahmani Fazli, has publicly lauded the Chinese Communist Party. In a recent interview, he praised China’s supposed “key role” in resolving Middle Eastern conflicts. This exchange comes just before Trump’s arrival in Beijing on Wednesday, where discussions with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, are expected to address ongoing tensions with Iran.
The interview, conducted by the Iranian state media outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), highlights the efforts by the Iranian regime to foster closer ties with China. This follows a recent visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Historically, China and Iran have maintained a strong alliance, sharing mutual interests and anti-American sentiments. China stands as Iran’s largest oil client and played a significant role in bringing Iran into the anti-American BRICS coalition in 2024.
Despite their longstanding relationship, recent developments have introduced tensions. America’s Operation Epic Fury, aimed at dismantling Iran’s senior military leadership, has led to a blockade by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, affecting global shipping routes. As a nation heavily reliant on this traffic for essential oil and goods, China’s dissatisfaction with the situation is evident, as it has demanded a swift resolution without implicating Iran as part of the problem.
These disruptions and the broader conflict involving Iran are expected to be focal points during Trump’s discussions with Xi Jinping. Amidst these developments, Rahmani Fazli used the IRNA interview to reaffirm Iran’s commitment to its relationship with China, emphasizing their alliance’s strategic importance.
The ambassador remarked, “China is seen by Iran not just as an economic ally or an energy buyer, but as a crucial element in a broader strategy to counteract external pressures, threats, and unilateral actions.” Rahmani Fazli further praised China for its stance against American military efforts targeting Iran’s terrorist activities and its attempt, albeit unsuccessful, to mediate in the ongoing conflict.
“China is not viewed by Iran merely as an economic partner or energy buyer, but as part of a broader political balancing strategy against pressure, threats, and unilateralism,” Rahmani Fazli declared, celebrating China for opposing the American military operations to degrade Iran’s terrorist capabilities and its unsuccessful attempts to shoehorn itself into a mediation role in the conflict.
“The significance of China’s role lay in the fact that it viewed the crisis not through the lens of pressuring Iran, but from the perspective of containing the war and preventing the collapse of regional security,” he explained.
The ambassador described Iran as seeking to “redefine its diplomatic posture” beginning with sending Araghchi to China, as China has traditionally been sympathetic to Iran.
“From the onset, Beijing expressed opposition to the expansion of the war, because it knows that instability in West Asia is not a regional crisis only;” he argued. “It is tied with energy security, the global trade chain, and the power balance in the international system. From this viewpoint, China’s efforts to end the war were aimed at defending the principle of stability.”
Araghchi’s visit to China was marked by Foreign Minister Wang Yi sternly demanding that interruptions to traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, mostly caused by Iran, conclude.
“Regarding the strait issue, the international community shares a common concern over restoring normal safe passage through the strait. China hopes that the parties concerned will respond promptly to the strong calls of the international community,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a readout following Wang’s meeting with Araghchi.
The Chinese government has offered few details on what it expects to discuss with Trump upon his arrival on Wednesday.
“President Xi will have in-depth exchanges of views with President Trump on major issues concerning China-U.S. relations and world peace and development,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters during a briefing on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry largely avoided the subject of Iran during its briefing on Tuesday other than complaining about a new round of sanctions on its oil facilities that buy and process Iranian oil.
“We stand firmly against illicit unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or the authorization of the U.N. Security Council,” Guo insisted. “We will take resolute measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses and citizens.”
“On the Iran conflict, the pressing priority now is to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting, rather than to throw mud at China,” he added.
Iran and America are currently in a state of indefinite ceasefire, which Washington announced in April to allow for negotiations. President Trump appeared irritable about the matter in comments to reporters on Monday, calling the latest response from Iran to American proposals “garbage” and claiming that the ceasefire itself was “on life support.”
“I didn’t even finish reading it,” he said of the latest Iranian response in the negotiations.
“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support,” he explained. “Where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1 percent chance of living.’”
Trump has complained in the past month that negotiations with Iran are difficult as various factions of the remnants of the Iranian government fight each other for influence and authority, in particular the civilian wing of the government, led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the military, led by the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Typically, these tensions are managed by the dictator of the country, the “supreme leader.” Longtime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, however, the first day of Operation Epic Fury, and his son, current “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei, has made no public appearances or video or audio statements since been appointed the dictator, leaving unclear if he is in an adequate state to run the country.
“Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” Trump claimed in late April. “Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”
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