Speaking in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Hamed Vafaei, referring to the dimensions of Iran-China Comprehensive Cooperation Program document, said: This document can be a useful and constructive model for relations between other countries that have been sanctioned. Of course, such long-term plans can be useful for countries that have defined and enhanced their relations strategically in the first place.

He continued: Iran-China relations are defined in the form of the following triangle: one side is participation against competition, the other side is strategic in the face of short-term decisions, and the third side is the issue of comprehensiveness, dimensions that cover all aspects of a relationship.

Strategic cooperation roadmap can neutralize sanctions

The analyst of international affairs added: When we consider such a triangle for relations between the two countries and both sides decide to strategize their relations, a roadmap is definitely needed for long-term relations, otherwise being strategic remains a matter of words. This document is in fact the roadmap and the plan and framework of those strategic relations. This is the framework that can neutralize unilateral sanctions on the countries.

Confirming reports in some media that Iran-China cooperation could thwart US efforts and be a challenge to the Biden administration, and while referring to the effective role of China and Russia in the Security Council, he said: If our diplomatic apparatus fails to be smart enough and if international sanctions are imposed, it will be very difficult to establish such relations in the light of international sanctions.

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership defuses unilateral sanctions

The university professor continued: Therefore, such relations and programs can neutralize the unilateral and unjust sanctions of countries like the United States against Iran; because they do not have international support, but we should not forget that a country like China has defined a framework for its policies.

Recalling that the first principle of China’s foreign policy is multilateralism, he added: The principle of adherence to and protection of international frameworks are other principles that China considers in its foreign policy; therefore, when we want to enter into a long-term deal with a country like China, we must do our best so that international sanctions do not affect our country. As a rule, if a third country imposes unilateral sanctions on our country, contrary to international regulations and Security Council resolutions, as the Americans did, this cooperation can neutralize those sanctions.

The professor of international relations, referring to the sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe against some countries, continued: It should be noted that we have two models of sanctions; one is international sanctions such as those imposed by the Security Council or the United Nations against countries, and the other is a model of unilateral sanctions by countries. Exposure to international sanctions is not acceptable at all, and as the Supreme Leader has emphasized, we must make every effort to get rid of those sanctions, and the whole purpose of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was to lift those sanctions from Iran.

Referring to the unilateral sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against Iran after the withdrawal of the JCPOA, the university professor said: The ground for the agreement between Iran and China was created in the circumstances that the JCPOA had reached a conclusion. In fact, five years ago, when the Chinese president visited Iran, exactly a few months after the 5+1 signed the JCPOA, Iran and China upgraded their relationship to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership”. And both countries agreed to have a 25-year roadmap for their cooperation.

Sanctioned Club must define strategic relationships among members

Vafaei emphasized: If member states of the Sanctioned Club can define strategic relations between themselves, then they can make long-term plans for it, but if there is a cross-sectional view, it is certainly not possible to define a roadmap for it. If we want to model the comprehensive document of cooperation with China and prepare a comprehensive document of cooperation among countries of this club, the necessary preparations must be provided for it.

He said: In the first step, those countries must have a strategic view of each other; that is to say, if they can define a common ground and line among themselves as the strategic relationships, and if they can inject comprehensiveness into it in some areas and turn it into comprehensive strategic relationships, then such a plan can certainly work, and by the way will be very effective.

Emphasizing that China is not sanctioned by the United Nations or other institutions in any way, Vafaei added: The Americans have sanctioned China and Russia, and they are also in trouble. Incidentally, China, Iran and Russia have a strategic view of each other and along other countries that have been formally sanctioned, they can forge effective cooperation, but only if they not under the Security Council sanctions.