Friday, 24 July 2020_Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations says the long-term deal that awaits finalization between the Islamic Republic and its Asian ally, China, is nothing out of the ordinary and stems from age-old relations between the two countries.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Russia's RT news channel, Majid Takht Ravanchi said relations between Iran and China “go back centuries,” adding, “So, it is natural for these two countries to get together, to discuss different issues, [and] collaborate on many issues of interest to both sides, including in the field of economy.”
“So the agreement between Iran and China is not something unusual. We are in the process of finalizing the deal, which affects both countries,” as it “deals with many issues of interest for both sides and I think it is natural for … two countries to sign such an agreement provided that this is something necessary for two sides,” Iran’s envoy said.
The agreement is to serve as a “roadmap” defining the quality of the countries’ strategic relations for the subsequent 25-year period. It is expected to ditch the dollar in bilateral trade by bringing in each side’s legal tender instead and bypass the illegal and unilateral sanctions that the United States returned against the Islamic Republic in 2018.
The roadmap is expected to enable such level of coordination between Tehran and Beijing that could eat away at Washington’s sway in the region and further frustrate its attempts at isolating Tehran.