China-Iran Economic Ties and Trade Based More on Geopolitics Than Economics

In recent years, the Tehran-Beijing relationship has witnessed significant growth. The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal 2015, also referred to as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action –  JCPOA, and imposition of stringent sanctions on Iran in 2018 has been cited as the primary factor for Iran’s growing proximity with China and Russia. The US has put high-level pressure on China to use its influence over Iran to end Houthi attacks on Western commercial shipping in the Red Sea. However, the calls from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, may overestimate the extent…