Iran turns to Russia and China to relieve the effects of US withdrawal from JCPOA

Tabnak – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in Beijing to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. As the US move to withdraw from the Iran nuclear has casted a shadow on Iran’s foreign relations, Rouhani’s trip has gained even more importance.

In this vein and on the sidelines of Rouhani’s visit to China, the presidents of Iran and Russia in a meeting highlighted the need to maintain and promote economic relations between the two countries and to keep military cooperation for regional security.

Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China’s Qingdao on Saturday. Hailing the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in the fields of energy swap, defense industry and transportation, Rouhani said Iran welcomes investment by Russian companies and private sector.

Voicing Iran’s support for stronger economic interaction with the Eurasian Economic Union under a free trade agreement, the Iranian president noted that Russia’s involvement in the North-South railroad corridor would open up perfect opportunities for economic cooperation with the East.

He further emphasized the impact of Iran-Russia defense coordination on regional security, adding, “The cooperation between Iran and Russia in the war against Daesh (ISIL) and other terrorist groups in the region has been effective, and such cooperation will continue.”

The Iranian president also touched on the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), praising “Russia’s significant role” in the continued implementation of the nuclear deal after the US’s “unilateral and unlawful exit” from it.

For his part, Vladimir Putin underlined that Russia will keep working with Iran in the economic arena, energy swap and defense programs, hailing the “good prospect” for economic cooperation between the two sides.

Expressing Moscow’s support for Iran’s permanent membership of the Eurasian Economic Union and of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Putin said Iran has been well involved in the SCO issues as an observer state for years.

Denouncing the US administration’s illegal move to walk away from the JCPOA, the Russian president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to negotiating with the other parties to support the nuclear accord. He also highlighted Iran-Russia interaction on regional stability, stressing that such regional cooperation will go on, as for the settlement of the crisis in Syria.

Apart from Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has also said that Beijing has always objected to any imposition of unilateral sanctions against other nations based on domestic laws.

Chunying told IRNA that China and Iran has always maintained their economic and trade ties, and will continue such relations based on international rules and regulations. She said global powers must be the role models and pioneers of respecting international agreements.

Iran’s president arrived in Qingdao on Friday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to attend the annual SCO summit. Accompanied by a high-profile delegation, Rouhani is planned to meet several top foreign officials on the sidelines of the event.