by Hassan Mahmoudi
China uses this deal to have privilege on US on its trade agreements with this country.
Sanctions imposing maximum pressure on the clerical regime, backed by internal economic crises, have laid the ground for an explosive society drained by dire livelihood as well as infightings at the top of this regime.
The Iran-China-Russia deal
To find a light at the end of this dark tunnel, the regime intends to tie with China and Russia to take advantage of their international and political potentials to break its economic deadlock and to block any potential uprising.
On July 12, speaking at the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission’s session in Majlis (parliament) Iran regime’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif said, “When Mr. Xi Jinping visited Tehran in 2015 and met with Khamenei, this was the overture of the 25-year cooperation accord.”
Mesbahi Moghadam, a member of the Iranian regime’s Expediency Council shed light on the role of Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in this sell-off deal involving the transfer of Kish Island, along with military and intelligence cooperation between the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) with the Chinese government and said, “The 25-year cooperation document with China went through after (Khamenei) sent a special message and a special messenger (to China) and met with the Chinese President”.
He said the deal was to remedy the regime’s turmoil and added, “Today, our situation forces us to inject more hope to the society. If hopelessness prevails, there could be social riots. In this regard having relation with China and Russia can provide paths to new opportunities”.
Tehran also intends to use this concession to China as a tool to block the extension of the UN armed embargo which will be voted on by UNSC in September this year using China and Russia as vetoing countries. On the other hand, China uses this deal to have privilege on US on its trade agreements with this country.
Simon Watkins, a British economic journalist, highlights the security aspect of this document and writes, “another element that will change the entire balance of geopolitical power in the Middle East has been added to the deal.
Last week, the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] agreed to the extension of the existing deal to include new military elements that were proposed by the same senior figures in the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and the intelligence services that proposed the original deal, and this will involve complete aerial and naval military co-operation between Iran and China, with Russia also taking a key role,” one of the Iran sources told OilPrice.com last week.
According to the Iranian sources, part of the new military co-operation includes an exchange of personnel between Iran, and China and Russia, with up to 110 senior Iranian IRGC men going for training every year in Beijing and Moscow, and 110 Chinese and Russians going to Tehran for their training.
In this document, China is introduced as “the permanent Iran oil buyer”. The Iranian regime will sell its oil, gas, and petrochemical products to China 12% cheaper than the market price. It grants China a double discount of 6-8% too. Accordingly, China will be buying Iran’s oil products at least 32% cheaper than its true value in global markets.
Prior to an economic deal, this is a military deal to preserve the Islamic Republic from its downfall. The regime is not able to buy military equipment and no country is allowed to sell such equipment to Iran. This document will grant unlimited access to Iran’s bases to Russian and Chinese military forces, they will have the permission to transfer advanced military equipment into Iran.
Iranians please to oppose this deal with protests
A local source from Isfahan said, “To this regime, national interest is not important. It just thinks of its own survival. It is our nation’s duty to rise and act and stop this deal with our protests”.
A citizen from Shiraz said, “This deal with China is much worse than the Turkman Chai Deal in 1828 and the Golestan Deal in 1813 they wanted to impose on Iran in two wars with the Russian tsarism”.
But for the people of Iran this does not come as a surprise, as they have the experience of 41 years of treachery against their anti-monarchy revolution by this regime, suffering from tortures and killings as well as squandering of the countries resources and assets.
It is for years that they had distanced themselves from this regime and expressed their abhorrence of it by street protests and years of uprisings. They do not see their hopes and future in this regime and its agenda.
Amid the coronavirus spread, the mullahs’ regime hoped that the voice of protests would be hushed. But both in Iran and abroad this voice is rising again.
Iranian patriots leaving outside the country intend to stage their annual international conference on July 17 in support of human rights and protests of the Iranian people.
Hundreds of MPs, politicians, and distinguished international dignitaries have expressed their support for this global summit and will participate in it to voice themselves with the desire and will of the people of Iran for a free, secular, and democratic country in peace with the world and its neighbors.
Hassan Mahmoudi is a Sweden-based social analyst, researcher, independent observer and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iranian Politics. He tweets under @hassan_mahmou1.
