U.S. Secretary of State Calls for China's Cooperation in Enforcing Sanctions Against Iran

On Friday, November 9, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a press conference alongside senior officials from the Chinese Communist Party and government, called for cooperation between Beijing and Washington regarding Iran's missile program and sanctions against the country. Pompeo stated, "I announce the United States' request for further cooperation with China to resolve Iran's nuclear missile programs and its other malign activities." He added, "We hope to collaborate with the Chinese government and Chinese energy companies in this regard. Reducing Iran's oil revenue to zero is a key component of this campaign, and we discussed this with Chinese officials today." Following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran and six world powers known as the JCPOA, the United States reinstated all suspended sanctions against Iran starting last Monday. Washington has targeted Iranian oil at this stage and emphasized that it wants to bring Iranian oil exports to zero. However, at the beginning of the second round of sanctions, the U.S. granted exemptions to eight countries to temporarily continue purchasing oil from Iran. These countries include China, India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Taiwan. Previously, President Donald Trump stated that granting temporary exemptions to these eight countries prevented a spike in oil prices and that he did not want his policies to drive up oil prices. According to a text published by the U.S. State Department on its website, Yang Jiechi, head of foreign policy for the Chinese Communist Party, emphasized in this press conference that Beijing seeks to manage the situation in the Middle East appropriately, especially regarding issues related to Iran, which it considers very important. He also stated that it remains necessary for the nuclear agreement with Iran to be implemented and monitored, and that the parties should cooperate to establish peace and stability in the region. Beijing is one of the parties to the nuclear agreement, which, along with Russia and three European powers, remains committed to preserving the JCPOA.