Can Washington turn Tehran's China strategy against it?
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Khalif, thinks he has spotted an opportunity in the conflict between the US and China. He argued that China's refusal to bow to American pressure gives Tehran room to deepen its partnership with Beijing - a relationship he says is now a priority for Iran's new leadership.
Jalibaf, who also serves as Iran's special representative for China affairs, raised the case on Sedaye Iran, an online outlet run by the watchdog that publishes the works of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His proposal was both symbolic and practical: the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Iran and China, he said, is an opportunity to expand ties, and the two countries' 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement should move from paper to concrete projects. He added that the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mujtaba Khamenei, has put China in the top priority and has issued instructions to strengthen cooperation.
But here's where it gets interesting — and that's where Washington might see its opening.
The logic that Glibaf describes is not one-sided. If Iran wants to lean on China as a counterweight to American pressure, the opposite is also true: China's backing of Iran is not free, and Beijing's willingness to defy Washington on Tehran's behalf has a price. That's exactly the kind of leverage a White House dealmaker might be looking to exploit. Instead of treating Iran-China relations as a monolith to be contained, the Trump administration could try to drive a wedge between the two—or, more ambitiously, use the prospect of a broader US-China understanding to reshape Iran's calculus.
Consider the options. Trump has long qualified himself as a president who can make deals where others see only stagnation. Getting closer to Beijing - even partially - can serve several purposes at once.