Tehran-Beijing 25-Year Roadmap a Prestigious Contract

A senior Iranian diplomat said the 25-year roadmap for cooperation with China indicates the country’s strategic ties with a key Asian power and is an honorable deal despite social media criticism.
“This roadmap outlines a 25-year vision [for cooperation] with China and despite the great deal of lies about it on social media, it is a prestigious document,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said at a press conference in Isfahan Province on Thursday, ISNA reported.
Iran prepared a 25-year roadmap for strategic relations with China and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif presented it to Chinese authorities during his visit to Beijing in early 2019. The government reviewed and approved the final draft of the document in late June. 
Mousavi said negotiations with the Chinese side are ongoing and the contract has not been finalized yet. 
“If talks with China are successful, this document will have to be ratified by people’s representatives in parliament for finalization and there is no secrecy,” he said. 
The contract has been criticized by those who argue that the contract favors China. 
Mousavi said such biased propaganda about the issue is spread by those who are against Tehran’s relations with Beijing. 
“It is predicted that in the near future, China will become the world’s leading economic power,” he said, advising against giving credence to comments by the agents of Israel and the United States.

Cooperation With IAEA  

Asked about the recent resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, Mousavi said Iran has always cooperated well with the agency, but “this approach will not continue forever”.
The global nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation board adopted a resolution last month, urging Iran to allow access to two sites the agency suspected of nuclear activity in the 2000s. 
Iran condemned the move, saying the request was based on inadmissible Israeli intelligence. 
“They must note that Iran’s cooperation had been constructive and if the agency is to give false and distorted information about Iran or make illegitimate requests, Iran’s reaction would be proportionate,” Mousavi said.  
The IAEA resolution came against a backdrop of tensions over the expiration of the UN arms embargo on Iran. 
The arms ban is set to be removed as per the terms of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. 
The US, which has already abandoned the deal and restored its sanctions on Tehran, is now campaigning to prevent the removal of restriction. 
It has prepared a draft resolution for the permanent extension of the embargo and has threatened to trigger the return of all UN sanctions on Tehran, if the resolution fails to gain the UN Security Council’s majority vote. 
“The arms sanctions and restrictions are set to be lifted as of October, but if that does not happen, Iran will have a strong reaction,” Mousavi said, adding that Iran deems it unlikely for the US to succeed in achieving this goal. 
He said Washington’s main tool is to pressurize independent states, hoping they will not yield to this pressure.