Iran’s hard-liners eye China for support

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran. Feb. 17 – Chinese economic cooperation with Iran has de-fanged the threat of possible international economic sanctions against Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons development, a semi-official daily which represents the views of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in its Saturday editorial. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran. Feb. 17 – Chinese economic cooperation with Iran has de-fanged the threat of possible international economic sanctions against Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons development, a semi-official daily which represents the views of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in its Saturday editorial.

The editorial, entitled “an Empty Drum” and signed by publisher Hossein Shariatmadari, a close confidante of Ayatollah Khamenei, said that the decision by Beijing to sign up to a 100 billion dollar oil deal with Tehran had far more political significance that it did economic.

Indeed Kayhan ran separately a story entitled “China’s 100 billion dollar oil deal with Iran” as its front-page headline, boasting the agreement which will likely be finalised in March.

“These days with the rise in tensions with the United States and the European Union over our country’s nuclear program and following the recent resolution by the board of governors [of the International Atomic Energy Agency”> and the reporting of Iran’s file to the United Nations Security Council, wide-scale psychological propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been planned and put into practice. In this large-scale psychologically warfare, the Islamic Republic of Iran is threatened with economic sanctions, becoming politically cornered, and even with military strikes”.

The daily argued that the “propaganda” may have been having an effect on certain elements within the clerical establishment, who have been suggesting a diversion from Tehran’s “rightful” nuclear path.

It highlighted Beijing’s position as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, while it described Iran-China economic ties as “strategic”.

It added that China saw Iran as a country with a stable politico-economic climate, or else it would not be willing to “risk” 100 billion dollars.

“This point is important because it shows that despite the psychological propaganda of these days, [the threat”> of the UN Security Council dealing with Iran is not real and such a program has not been planned. It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s that they can’t …”.

It went on to describe the threat of UN action against Tehran over its nuclear program as “empty”.