The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing is determined to establish strategic and long-term relations with Iran.
In a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Sunday, Wang Yi said his country is keen to increase ties with Iran.
"China is resolved to upgrade the level of its ties to strategic and long-term cooperation with Iran in all fields," IRNA reported him as saying.
Referring to a planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Iran, he said, "Considering the objectives of the trip, it could be a turning point in the history of the two countries' relations."
Touching on the talks between Iran and the six major powers on Tehran's nuclear program, Wang expressed hope that the negotiations would lead to a comprehensive agreement to end foreign efforts to create obstacles to Iran's progress and prevent the Islamic Republic from playing a more active part in regional and international developments.
Effective Role
The president, for his part, highlighted the strategic significance of Tehran-Beijing cooperation in the development and security of the region and said, "China has always had very good cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran and today we are at a juncture at which we should seek strategic cooperation in all fields."
Rouhani said Iran will never forget its "historic" and "good" relations with China after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, adding, "With China's cooperation in our talks with the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany), we hope to reach a comprehensive agreement very soon which will not only ensure the rights of the Iranian nation, but will prepare the ground for greater international understanding and cooperation."
The senior official said, "In the current situation, if the negotiating party shows adequate political resolve, a comprehensive agreement is within reach in a short time, which can be even shortened by China's effective role."
In a separate development, the visiting Chinese official conferred with the director of the Center for Strategic Research of the Expediency Council, Ali Akbar Velayati, on Monday.
Wang touched on the long-lasting Iran-China relations and said, "We attach special importance to mutual relations," IRNA reported.
Velayati, a senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said, "The Chinese president is scheduled to make a visit to Iran to hold talks with officials on bilateral interactions."
After the top Chinese diplomat's meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement citing Wang as saying in the meeting that, "Talks on the Iran nuclear issue face a historic opportunity, and striking a comprehensive deal on schedule is the trend of the times and the desire of the people," Reuters reported.
"Reaching comprehensive agreement is beneficial to Iran upholding its own legal rights, including the right to the peaceful use of nuclear power, and for the people of Iran to throw off the difficulties of sanctions as early as possible and focus on energetically developing the economy," Wang said according to the statement.
