Lawmaker Says Iran-China Deal Can Prompt US Return To JCPOA

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the 25-year strategic agreement with China will worry the United States and may push Washington to compromise in the ongoing nuclear talks.

Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, who is the chairman of Iran-China parliamentary friendship group, said on Sunday that the deal can convince the US to expedite efforts to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift Iran sanctions.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the official commencement of the agreement's implementation.

Farahani described the agreement as an important step to increase Chinese investments in Iranthat will expand Tehran’s ties with the entire region.

He criticized the former president Hassan Rouhani’s administration for trying to mend ties with the Western countries, saying that the strategy of the incumbent government is focusing on relations with regional states.

Farahani said negotiations are underway now so that Tehran can increase collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, while the country’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can further boost relations with Turkmenistan and Pakistan.

He noted that Washington seeks to weaken the economies of Iran and China, therefore this common enemy can help strengthen relations between Tehran and Beijing, and the 25-year deal is a good step in this direction.