The United States said Wednesday that it has a shared interest with Beijing in curbing Iran's nuclear program, declining to fan the flames over a 25-year cooperation pact signed by the frequent US nemeses.

The agreement sealed Saturday has triggered commentary among US conservatives of a new anti-US "axis" and would have likely been sharply criticized by former president Donald Trump's administration.

But President Joe Biden's government declined to wade in on the pact, which has also provoked opposition inside Iran.

"Competition, as you know, does define our relationship with China, but we do have, in some cases, rather narrow areas of tactical alignment," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"It so happens that Iran is one of them. China has been cooperative in efforts to constrain Iran's nuclear program," he said.

"Beijing, of course, has no interest in seeing Iran develop a nuclear weapon, and the profoundly destabilizing impact that would have in a region upon which China does depend."

China was one of six powers that was part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, under which Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Trump trashed the deal but Biden has hoped to revive it, although he insists Iran must return to full compliance before he ends Trump's sanctions.

Price said China and the United States had common interests "as we look to ways to find that mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA."

China has remained the top, if diminished, buyer of Iranian oil since Trump imposed unilateral US sanctions in 2018 to warn all countries against buying from the clerical state.

Even if Biden lifts sanctions, China would remain the privileged buyer of Iranian oil under the pact. Japan, South Korea and India, all aligned with the United States, mostly complied with Trump's sanctions.

China signed the deal with Iran on a regional trip by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also visited Turkey and Saudi Arabia, allies of the United States.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Pro-Iran group stages armed Baghdad rally
Baghdad (AFP) March 25, 2021
Masked gunmen in a convoy of pick-ups drove through the Iraqi capital Thursday staging a show of force against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi who has proposed a new dialogue with Washington. Militants of the Rabaa Allah group brandished mocking portraits of the prime minister, who is seen as pro-American, and other government officials showing their faces trampled underfoot. Rabaa Allah is the newest and most powerful of a myriad of pro-Iran groups in Iraq. It is seen by experts as a cove ... read more