Iran’s Defence Minister Hossein Dehqan meets Chinese Admiral Sun Jianguo, the deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, in Tehran yesterday.

Agencies
Tehran

China wants to strengthen military ties with Iran, a senior Chinese admiral said yesterday, three months after Tehran sealed a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme.
Sun Jianguo made the remarks to Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan during a visit to Tehran, China’s defence ministry said in statement, noting that he hoped to continue pushing forward military relations between the two countries.
Sun’s visit was to “enhance friendship, deepen co-operation and exchange views on issues of mutual interest to the two militaries,” the Chinese ministry said.
Dehghan also hoped to strengthen “strategic co-operation between both countries,” according to an Iranian defence ministry statement.
“Developing military relations between both countries will reinforce stability and security on either ends of the Asian continent,” he said.
China is Iran’s largest petroleum buyer, and the US threatened to punish it for its purchases as Tehran was locked in a standoff with the international community over its nuclear programme, amid fears it could develop atomic weapons.
Beijing contributed to brokering a July deal that will lift crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.
“Along with powerful regional coalitions, the influence of the US and the crises it provokes must be countered,” Iran’s defence minister added, referring to the “US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq... which strengthened terrorist groups.”
He also hailed Russia’s intervention in Syria, saying he “hoped Russia’s positive actions would result in substantial changes in the fight against terrorism.”
Iran and Russia have both provided support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. China, however, remains a low key diplomatic player in the Middle East despite its dependence on the region’s oil. Beijing has repeatedly warned that military action cannot end the crisis in Syria and has called multiple times for talks and a political solution.  
Iran’s navy chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari called for Tehran and Beijing to co-operate to protect shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported.