Opinion | Iran’s eastward pivot: why China is now Tehran’s strategic default
Through its partnership with China and other members of the Brics grouping, Iran has a chance to redefine its role in the world system
That same year, as Western diplomats contemplated relations with Tehran while fixating on uranium enrichment levels, Iran quietly stepped up its diplomatic presence in Central Asia, signed yuan-denominated trade agreements and boosted security cooperation and intelligence sharing with China.
This diplomatic pivot isn’t built upon centrifuges or surviving sanctions. Rather, it’s based on an enduring and deliberate reorientation towards the East.
Enter China. Although Iran and China established diplomatic ties in 1971, substantive cooperation was limited during the Cold War. It wasn’t until the 2000s – especially under former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad – that economic and energy ties significantly grew.