Tag: VOA News on Iran

Before Xi Visit, Russia Says It Held Naval Drills With China and Iran in Arabian Sea

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Russia, China and Iran have completed three-way naval exercises in the Arabian Sea that included artillery fire at targets on the sea and in the air, the Russian defense ministry said on Saturday. The exercises, off the Iranian port of Chabahar, took place as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Moscow for a three-day state visit starting on Monday. Russia has continued to stage military exercises with partners, especially China, despite the strain on its armed forces from the year-long war in Ukraine,…

Russia Begins Naval Drills With China, Iran

Chin@Strategy

moscow —  Russia said Wednesday it had started naval exercises with China and Iran in the Arabian Sea as it seeks to shore up ties with Beijing and Tehran. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the trilateral exercises, dubbed the Marine Security Belt 2023, had begun in the vicinity of the Iranian port of Chabahar. The naval part of the drills will take place on Thursday and Friday. Russia will be represented by the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and a medium-sized tanker, the ministry said. During the naval…

White House Welcomes Chinese-Brokered Saudi-Iran Deal

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white house —  Despite its rocky relations with China, the White House says it welcomes Beijing’s efforts to help end the war in Yemen and de-escalate tensions in the region following the announcement of a Chinese-brokered deal that allows Iran and Saudi Arabia to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of hostility. “If this deal can be sustained — regardless of what the interest was or who sat down at the table — if it can be sustained, and the war in Yemen can end, and Saudi Arabia doesn’t have…

China, Iran Call on Afghanistan to End Restrictions on Women

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beijing —  China and Iran have urged mutual neighbor Afghanistan to end restrictions on women’s work and education. The call came in a joint statement Thursday issued at the close of a visit to Beijing by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, during which the two sides affirmed close economic and political ties and their rejection of Western standards of human rights and democracy. Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have banned women and girls from universities and schools after the sixth grade and forced out those in elected…

China’s Xi Hosting Iranian President Amid Tensions with US

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beijing —  Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his visit to China over the next three days, state media reported on Tuesday, amid rising tensions with the United States. Ahead of his visit, Raisi wrote an editorial in China’s state-controlled People’s Daily in which he said both countries believe that unilateralism and “violent” measures such as the imposition of “unjust” sanctions are the main causes of crises and insecurity in the world. In the editorial, Raisi described China as an “old friend,” and…

China’s Xi Calls for Early Resolution of Iran Nuclear Issue

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BEIJING —  China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for the early and proper resolution of the Iran nuclear issue while expressing his support for the Islamic Republic in safeguarding its rights and interests, according to Chinese state media. China will continue to “participate constructively” in talks to resume negotiations on implementing the Iran nuclear agreement, Xi told Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi in talks in Beijing. A 2015 nuclear agreement limited Iran’s uranium enrichment program to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms, in return for lifting international…

Iranian President Raisi to Visit China to Shore Up Ties

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Beijing —  Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will meet with his counterpart Xi Jinping during his three-day trip in China starting Tuesday, as the two U.S. rivals seek further cooperation. China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the announcement Sunday, saying Raisi’s visit was at Xi’s invitation. Raisi will meet with Xi and their delegations will sign cooperation documents, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. Meeting with Iranian and Chinese business leaders and Iranian expatriates in China is also part of his itinerary, the report added. Raisi’s visit is expected…

Iran Boosts Cheap Oil Sale to China Despite Sanctions

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Facing crippling economic sanctions, inflation and widespread social unrest, the Iranian government has boosted oil sales to China at a highly discounted price. Iran does not publish statistics about its oil sales, but analysts say Tehran has increased oil exports to more than 1.2 million barrels per day over the past three months. Iranian oil reaches the Chinese market through a camouflaged system of delivery that the Iranian regime has perfected over the past several decades of Western sanctions. “[The] Iranian regime is now very experienced in bypassing sanctions that…

Biden’s Reaction to Unrest in China, Iran, Questioned by Critics

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With major street protests erupting in Iran and China in recent weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is facing questions about its response to the unrest roiling two of the most significant U.S. adversaries. To date, the administration’s responses to events in both China and Iran have been mostly measured, though distinct. In the case of Iran, where months of protests followed the death in police custody of a young woman accused of not wearing a headscarf appropriately, the president himself has criticized Tehran’s policies. As early as October, he…