Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit Beijing Next Week
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Friday that he will travel to Beijing next week for consultations with senior Chinese officials.
Araghchi, who visited Moscow earlier this week where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, will engage in indirect talks with U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff regarding Iran’s nuclear program on Saturday in Rome.
While the meetings in Moscow and the upcoming discussions in Beijing are likely to focus on Iran’s ongoing negotiations with the United States over its nuclear activities, the visit to China comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington.
With the U.S.–China trade war escalating and showing no signs of de-escalation, the talks in Beijing may also serve to deepen economic ties between Tehran and Beijing. China, currently the largest importer of Iranian oil, recently halted all purchases of American liquified natural gas (LNG) and has reduced its imports of American oil by 90% since President Donald Trump’s sanctions took effect on April 2.
The Trump administration, continuing its “maximum pressure” campaign to restrict Iranian oil exports, issued a new round of sanctions on Thursday targeting Iran’s energy sector. Among those sanctioned was China’s Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co., a major purchaser of Iranian refined oil.
On Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the administration aims to reduce Iran’s energy exports to “zero.”
Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic partnership agreement in 2021, and Iran has since joined both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). However, their partnership has historically been constrained by China's significant economic ties with the United States. Now, as China finds itself increasingly targeted by U.S. economic measures, and as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to isolate Beijing globally, Tehran may see an opportunity to expand and strengthen its relationship with China.