Iran’s relations with China have grown in recent years amid tensions with US
Shortly after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plane landed in Taiwan on Tuesday, defying repeated Chinese warnings of military action, Iran fully threw its weight behind all-weather-ally Beijing.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Pelosi’s high-profile visit to the self-ruled island constitutes a breach of China’s territorial integrity and one-China policy.
He said respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries forms one of the “fundamental principles” of the UN Charter, denouncing the visit that threatens to further affect relations between China and the US.
Pelosi, the highest-ranking US government official to visit Taiwan, a contested island that China claims as part of its territory, will meet top Taiwanese officials, including President Tsai Ing-Wen on Wednesday.
Chinese officials in recent days issued stern warnings against the US House Speaker’s visit to the island, warning of strong counter-measures, including military action.
Kanaani said Pelosi’s visit was an “example of American interventionism” across the world, which has “resulted in growing stability and fuelled disputes.”
He further accused Washington of “unilateralism” and “violation of international laws,” which he said had become a “permanent feature” of the US foreign policy, while referring to the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
“Iran is a clear proof of the country’s non-compliance with its obligations,” he noted.
Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua took to Twitter to “praise Iran’s condemnation of America’s provocative actions and its interference in China’s internal affairs.”
While Iran’s ties with China have significantly expanded in recent years, relations with the US continue to nosedive amid a stalemate over the 2015 nuclear deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
On Monday, the US Treasury announced new sanctions on Iran, this time targeting Chinese companies and other entities from the UAE and Singapore that it said were used by one of Iran’s leading petrochemical brokers, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co.
