Says Opposition Voices in Iran ‘Constitute Opportunities’
Ebrahim Noroozi/Associated Press
WASHINGTON (Kayhan Intl.) -- The Trump administration’s "maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has manifestly failed to achieve either its stated or unstated aims, the Washington Post says.
It has not forced Iran to renegotiate the nuclear accord from which President Trump unwisely withdrew; nor has it ended Iran’s role in the Middle East or caused the government to collapse, the paper wrote in its editorial Tuesday.
"Now it may result in a powerful new blow to U.S. interests, in the form of an Iranian partnership with China that could rescue Iran’s economy while giving Beijing a powerful new place in the region,” it added.
An agreement approved by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last month could lead to billions of dollars in Chinese investments in Iran, in exchange for a steady stream of Iranian oil, according to the New York Times. The deal also envisages security cooperation, including joint military exercises and the sharing of weapons development and intelligence, according to an 18-page draft the Times obtained.
"It’s not certain the pact will go forward: It has yet to be publicly unveiled and must be approved by the Iranian parliament, where it could encounter nationalist resistance. But if it does, it will not only rupture the wall of sanctions that the Trump administration has constructed in an attempt to strangle the Iranian economy; it will also mark a significant escalation of China’s challenge to U.S. global influence,” the Washington Post wrote.
According to the paper, Trump and his aides "have directed plenty of bluster at China in recent weeks, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered more when the prospective Iran-China accord came up at a news conference last week”.
"Pointing to the possibility that China would sell arms to Iran under the deal, he said that was reason to extend a UN embargo on arms sales to Iran when it expires in October. Yet that can’t happen without Beijing’s agreement,” the Post said.
It has not forced Iran to renegotiate the nuclear accord from which President Trump unwisely withdrew; nor has it ended Iran’s role in the Middle East or caused the government to collapse, the paper wrote in its editorial Tuesday.
"Now it may result in a powerful new blow to U.S. interests, in the form of an Iranian partnership with China that could rescue Iran’s economy while giving Beijing a powerful new place in the region,” it added.
An agreement approved by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last month could lead to billions of dollars in Chinese investments in Iran, in exchange for a steady stream of Iranian oil, according to the New York Times. The deal also envisages security cooperation, including joint military exercises and the sharing of weapons development and intelligence, according to an 18-page draft the Times obtained.
"It’s not certain the pact will go forward: It has yet to be publicly unveiled and must be approved by the Iranian parliament, where it could encounter nationalist resistance. But if it does, it will not only rupture the wall of sanctions that the Trump administration has constructed in an attempt to strangle the Iranian economy; it will also mark a significant escalation of China’s challenge to U.S. global influence,” the Washington Post wrote.
According to the paper, Trump and his aides "have directed plenty of bluster at China in recent weeks, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered more when the prospective Iran-China accord came up at a news conference last week”.
"Pointing to the possibility that China would sell arms to Iran under the deal, he said that was reason to extend a UN embargo on arms sales to Iran when it expires in October. Yet that can’t happen without Beijing’s agreement,” the Post said.
Imaginechina, via Associated Press
Pompeo also threatened sanctions against Chinese companies that do business with Iran. "Again, that might have been a substantial deterrent before Mr. Trump launched his reckless trade war. Now, China may perceive it has more to gain by shielding U.S. adversaries from ‘maximum pressure’ — and demonstrating U.S. impotence,” the American paper added.
In recent years, as the United States has been bogged down in unrewarding conflicts in the Middle East, China has been expanding its economic, diplomatic and even military activities in the region, the New York Times wrote Tuesday.
"Beijing’s motives are straightforward but varied: It seeks to advance its interests, such as a pressing need for energy imports and for destinations for surplus capital and labor. In practice, it tries to advance President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, which is aimed at reshaping regional economic topographies in China’s favor and counters what Beijing sees as an American effort to contain it. In short, China seeks to establish itself in the eyes of the world — and its own people — as a great power capable of contending with the United States,” it said.
In recent years, as the United States has been bogged down in unrewarding conflicts in the Middle East, China has been expanding its economic, diplomatic and even military activities in the region, the New York Times wrote Tuesday.
"Beijing’s motives are straightforward but varied: It seeks to advance its interests, such as a pressing need for energy imports and for destinations for surplus capital and labor. In practice, it tries to advance President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, which is aimed at reshaping regional economic topographies in China’s favor and counters what Beijing sees as an American effort to contain it. In short, China seeks to establish itself in the eyes of the world — and its own people — as a great power capable of contending with the United States,” it said.
Orbital Horizon/Gallo Images, via Getty Images
According to the leading paper, "what Iranians seem to desire is to be no one’s junior partner, but to be self-sufficient and stand among the likes of Russia and China as equals”.
The Times, however, urged the U.S. to use challenges for China and Iran in further developing their ties to muddle the partnership.
It cited certain voices opposed to the deal inside the Islamic Republic, saying they "constitute opportunities for an America worried about the partnership” between Iran and China.
"The United States should, at every step, aim to exacerbate the conundrums each faces. It should, for example, emphasize that Iranian dependence on China — besides being costly — is a policy choice and that the door remains open to the rest of the international community if Tehran is willing to compromise on its nuclear ambitions and regional policies,” the paper advised.
"And Washington should enlist regional partners — who may otherwise prefer to enjoy the benefits of good relations with Beijing while leaving it up to the United States to confront China when it empowers Iran through arms sales or investment.”
"Make no mistake: The China-Iran relationship has long been important for both countries, contributing for example to Iran’s nuclear and missile advancements. And whether in the form of formal partnership agreements or simply ad hoc cooperation, those relations are very likely to grow closer yet in coming years, as China tries to project power westward and Iran seeks to insulate itself from the debilitating effects of American power and enhance its own regional influence,” the New York Times said.
"But while the deepening of the Iran-China relationship may be inevitable, the United States shouldn’t let it be easy for either Tehran or Beijing,” it added.
The Times, however, urged the U.S. to use challenges for China and Iran in further developing their ties to muddle the partnership.
It cited certain voices opposed to the deal inside the Islamic Republic, saying they "constitute opportunities for an America worried about the partnership” between Iran and China.
"The United States should, at every step, aim to exacerbate the conundrums each faces. It should, for example, emphasize that Iranian dependence on China — besides being costly — is a policy choice and that the door remains open to the rest of the international community if Tehran is willing to compromise on its nuclear ambitions and regional policies,” the paper advised.
"And Washington should enlist regional partners — who may otherwise prefer to enjoy the benefits of good relations with Beijing while leaving it up to the United States to confront China when it empowers Iran through arms sales or investment.”
"Make no mistake: The China-Iran relationship has long been important for both countries, contributing for example to Iran’s nuclear and missile advancements. And whether in the form of formal partnership agreements or simply ad hoc cooperation, those relations are very likely to grow closer yet in coming years, as China tries to project power westward and Iran seeks to insulate itself from the debilitating effects of American power and enhance its own regional influence,” the New York Times said.
"But while the deepening of the Iran-China relationship may be inevitable, the United States shouldn’t let it be easy for either Tehran or Beijing,” it added.
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