ABSTRACT
In the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), China is involved in negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear issues. Notably, China has always been against military solutions and regime changes in Iran, and it has given priority to diplomacy and negotiations. China never put unilateral sanctions on Iran as did the US and the EU.
The main aim of this chapter is to present in detail the sanctions regarding the Iranian nuclear issue voted on by the UNSC and the Chinese position on them, to analyze views from Tehran and Beijing on China’s involvement in the Iranian nuclear issue and to investigate Sino-Iranian cooperation after the signature of the JCPOA in the era of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The conclusion is drawn that China ultimately voted for all UNSC resolutions on Iran as it is a responsible power and could not permit further development of Iran’s nuclear program, which the IAEA could not confirm was peaceful in intent. With the assistance of Russia and the EU, China played a constructive role in both preventing the US from starting a war with Iran and pressing Tehran to continue negotiations and to make concessions.
From China’s perspective, if Iran is broken and weakened by the West, Tehran will fall under the influence of the US. A safe and stable Iran means a safe and stable Persian Gulf, which is the main conduit through which China imports Middle Eastern energy resources.
In turn, Iran tries to maintain the balance between the East and the West by increasing the role of China in the (nuclear issue) negotiation process. Iran attempts to derive benefits from Sino-Russian cooperation in the UNSC as well.
In sum, China’s policy on Iran’s nuclear issue is to maintain and work toward a negotiated JCPOA through political efforts, even after May 8, 2018 when the US announced its withdrawal from the JCPOA. Iran still needs China as one of the main guarantors of a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue after the conclusion of the JCPOA. Tehran will try to find ways to develop economic cooperation with Beijing in the framework of BRI, but given the US sanctions, the process will be very hard and restricted.
