News   /   Politics

Iran, China must join hands to counter US cold war, coalition building: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

Iran’s president says the Islamic Republic and China must join hands to counter the new cold war launched against independent countries by the United States and its Western allies.

Hassan Rouhani made the remarks in a Monday phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which he expressed Iran’s readiness to boost all-out cooperation with China as a major world power.

Rouhani appreciated China's principled positions and support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including the ongoing Vienna talks.

Stressing the need for the removal of unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, Iran's President stated that it is imperative for both countries to forge close cooperation with regard to international issues in order to counter the new cold war and coalition building efforts by the United States and its Western allies against independent nations, including Iran and China.

Referring to the presentation of the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) by the Islamic Republic at the United Nations, which focuses on promoting cooperation among regional countries, Rouhani said Iran is ready to help promote China's ties with West Asia on various matters, including resolving the Palestinian issue, and that the peace initiative, in this respect, can form the basis of interaction between the two sides.

Tehran introduced the HOPE initiative to the world leaders in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2019, which was aimed at enhancing solidarity, mutual understanding as well as peaceful and friendly relations among countries in the region in order to guarantee the territorial integrity and political independence of regional states.

During the phone call on Monday, Rouhani also voiced Iran's willingness to promote economic cooperation with China in West Asia, saying that the development of such cooperation would further strengthen relations between the two countries, especially in the economic and trade fields.

Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic partnership agreement in April, which was described as a major blow to the United States’ hostile foreign policy against Tehran and countering its sanctions regime.

The Chinese president, for his part, referred on Monday to the regional cooperation between the two countries, stressing that Iran and China can play an effective role in resolving regional and international issues by sharing their positions.

Pointing to talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna, Xi stressed that Beijing has always supported the deal as a multilateral international agreement and backs its full implementation.

"The United States cannot withdraw from the [nuclear] deal [with Iran] or return to it on its own terms. The removal of all sanctions against Iran is necessary for the US to return to the JCPOA,” the Chinese president said.

The Vienna talks are held between Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA – China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain. The US is not a party to the negotiations, but it has sent a delegation to the Austrian capital to keep abreast of its results.

Iran is adamant that the US make the first move to undo its past wrongs and lift all its sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump in one go because it was the side which reneged on its commitments and abandoned the deal in 2018.  

Trump initiated a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, prompting Tehran to take remedial measures by gradually reducing its nuclear commitments under the deal.

Rouhani: US will have to remove all sanctions inconsistent with JCPOA

Later on Monday, President Rouhani said in a meeting of the heads of three branches of the government that the United States has owned up to the failure of its so-called maximum pressure policy against Iran.

“The admission to defeat of sanctions [imposed on Iran] was a major victory registered for our country,” Iran’s chief executive said.

“As a result of the resistance and steadfastness of the Iranian nation, now the Americans have no other option but to remove all those sanctions, which are inconsistent with the JCPOA and this will be a double victory for Iran," Rouhani added.

The Iranian president noted that this victory is the fruit of the Iranian nation’s patience and resistance over the past three and a half years and a result of the guidelines provided by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who helped the Iranian administration to manage the country in its most difficult times.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku