Tehran(IP) - Iran and China are to sign a 25-year cooperation agreement under US sanctions.

Iran Press/Iran News: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Iran on Friday for a visit and signing of a 25-year cooperation agreement between the two countries, which are both under US sanctions.

The accord, final details of which are yet to be announced, is expected to include Chinese investments in Iran’s key sectors such as energy and infrastructure.

In 2016, China, one of Iran’s largest trading partners and long-time ally, agreed to boost bilateral trade by more than 10 times to $600 billion in the next decade.

The accord comes as the United States and the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal hardens their stance towards Tehran.

On Thursday, China’s commerce ministry said the country will make efforts to safeguard the Iran nuclear deal and defend the legitimate interests of Sino-Iranian relations.

US President Joe Biden has sought to revive talks with Iran on the nuclear deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, although harsh economic measures remain in place that Tehran insists be lifted before any negotiations resume.

The United States and the other Western powers that signed the 2015 deal appear at odds with Tehran over which side should return to the accord first, making it unlikely that US sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy can be quickly removed.

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