China has been strengthening its ties to Iran in recent years, and that has included support to Iran's regional proxies—notably the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is part of a burgeoning partnership or even a de facto alliance between Tehran and China.

Iran is pushing to recoup 25 million barrels of oil from China that has been stuck for six years in Chinese ports due to sanctions imposed by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, three Iranian and one Chinese source familiar with the matter said.

As the threat of "snapback" sanctions looms over Iran, Tehran is seeking to leverage its strategic relationship with China to counter Western pressure.

On Chinese social media, some want Iran to go nuclear – but others think it should learn from China’s “reform and opening.”

During the Senate confirmation hearings, Bessent called China an 'unbalanced economy,' and described the nation as being in a 'severe recession'

Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan claimed that the United States is in a "stronger, more secure position" than four years ago under President Trump.

She said she had read that Italy had arrested an Iranian engineer three days earlier at the request of the United States. The engineer, Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, was wanted for his alleged role in providing drone technology for Iran that was used in an attack that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.

In a new book, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner urges the U.S. and Europe to join together in a “Freedom Trade Alliance” against China, Russia and other autocracies.

The killings come as Iran faces economic turmoil, the mauling of its Middle East allies by Israel and the return of Donald Trump.

As C.I.A. director, William J. Burns was deeply focused on China and Russia when the Middle East conflict plunged him back into his old life.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a broad cooperation agreement, deepening their already growing partnership.