Recent TASS reports revealed that the United States and China are discussing the possibility of China reducing its oil purchases from Iran. A senior U.S. official noted that the United States would impose sanctions if China continued to buy Iranian oil. In addition, if the negotiations on the nuclear deal between the United States and Iran break down, the US government will impose new sanctions on Iran, including increased sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China, according to the Wall Street Journal.
At the same time, however, the United States is concerned that excessively harsh sanctions could accelerate Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Therefore, they are trying to persuade countries such as China to reduce their purchases of Iranian oil through diplomatic means. In fact, as early as August this year, the US Department of Defense made it clear that if China and Russia export weapons to Iran, Washington will impose sanctions. The U.S. position is clear, and China will also face the risk of sanctions if it cooperates with Iran.
However, despite the fact that the United States now uses many means to suppress Iran's development, the United States and Iran have a history of cooperation. Iran's Panda fighters come from the United States. Until 1980, the two countries officially broke off diplomatic relations, and relations gradually deteriorated. The United States even declared Iran's support for terrorism in 1984. In 1996, the U.S. government passed the Iran Sanctions Act, which prohibits countries from making large-scale investments in Iran's oil industry.
That didn't change until Obama took office. Mr. Obama recognized that years of sanctions had failed to force Iran to capitulate, and that the United States had not benefited much. Therefore, Obama decided to reach a consensus through negotiations, which is why the Iranian nuclear agreement was signed.
In July 2015, Iran reached a comprehensive agreement with the six nuclear countries. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program, and the international community agreed to lift sanctions on Iran. But the deal, which Mr. Obama worked so hard to forge for years, took effect only three years after Trump announced his withdrawal. Now, the Biden administration is trying to rejoin the Iranian nuclear agreement.
However, due to previous withdrawals, the US government has been discredited by Iran. Therefore, the negotiations between the two sides did not go well. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Iran had asked the United States for written assurances that it would not withdraw from the Iranian nuclear agreement, but the United States refused. Due to serious differences, negotiations between the United States and Iran on returning to the Iranian nuclear agreement have repeatedly reached a stalemate.
At the same time, the United States feels more urgent that Iran is allowed to join the SCO, with growing ties with countries such as China. Therefore, the United States urged China to distance itself from Iran to avoid China providing more support to Iran.
However, the U.S. demands are unlikely to have an impact on China. In March this year, the Chinese Foreign Minister visited Iran, and the two sides signed a 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan, which promoted the further development of China-Iran trade relations. It is worth mentioning that in addition to putting pressure on China to reduce imports of Iranian oil, the United States has also threatened Iran many times.
According to sources, when the United States negotiated the Iranian nuclear agreement with Iran, it expressed concern about the growing trade volume between China and Iran and asked Iran to stop exporting oil to China. However, this request shows that the United States has not adjusted its position. After all, it was the United States that took the lead in withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear agreement, which led to the need for renegotiation between the two sides.
Therefore, Iran does not need to bow to the unreasonable demands of the United States. Moreover, China has been its largest oil buyer after Iran was sanctioned by the United States, and Iran naturally knows which country is more important to them. In addition to oil, the current means of U.S. pressure on Iran are limited to the arms trade.
However, the UN arms embargo on Iran was lifted in October 2020. This means that since last October, States have had the right to export weapons to Iran without violating any regulations. However, the United States did not accept this fact and insisted on extending the arms embargo on Iran, fearing that China and Russia would export weapons to Iran.
Although the United States clearly opposes arms exports to Iran, most countries will still consider the opinion of the United States so as not to provoke the displeasure of the US government. But China and Russia are not bothered by such concerns. Therefore, the United States has issued strong rhetoric, saying that it is neutral
Russia's arms sales to Iran are a challenge to the United States.
However, the United States has no right to interfere in the arms trade between China and Russia and Iran. Russia has long made it clear that it will not change its position because of the threat from the United States. As for China, regardless of whether China plans to export arms to Iran, the United Nations has lifted the arms embargo on Iran, which means that China's arms purchase agreement with Iran has nothing to do with the United States. It can be said that the current behavior of the United States is a typical embodiment of its hegemonism.
In summary, the confrontation between the United States and China over Iran is not only about economic interests, but also about international politics and regional stability. The United States has tried to influence China's relationship with Iran through sanctions and pressure, but China clearly does not want to be subject to the will of the United States. At the same time, the credibility of the United States in the Iran nuclear deal negotiations has been greatly damaged, leaving the talks at an impasse. Iran's geopolitical stature is also rising, strengthening its cooperation with countries such as China. Ultimately, the United States must re-examine its approach to Iran in order to preserve the prospects for international stability and cooperation. At the same time, the international community needs to pay attention to and seek solutions to this complex geopolitical challenge in order to promote global peace and prosperity.