ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses Sino-Iranian relations and mutual strategic perceptions as a function of US foreign policy up to the present. For many, the signing of the Vienna accords in July 2015 betokened the ultimate vindication of President Obama’s policy vis-a-vis Iran and the decision to award him the Nobel Prize for peace as early in his first tenure as 2009. Soon after being declared victor, Trump signalled he would toughen up America’s stance on Iran, on the one hand, and seemed to threaten China he would embrace Taiwan, on the other. China– Iran relations seems to have undergone rapid strategic deepening over the past few years, culminating in Xi Jinping’s visit to Tehran in January 2016. The general theme in the reformist newspapers is that China has been pursuing a peaceful development policy in recent decades. For the conservatives, the presence of China in Iran’s energy sector is important.
