Referring to the various dimensions of Iran-China 25-Year Cooperation Roadmap, Gholam Ali Khoshroo called the cooperation a turning point in the relations between the two countries, as well as comprehensive development in their relationship.

He described the Iran-China 25-Year Cooperation Plan as a roadmap for the two countries to use each other’s existing capacities to strengthen and develop bilateral and regional cooperation.

China is the world’s second-largest economy because of its economic position over the past 20 years, and if it continues to do so, it will become the world’s largest economy, he added.

Khoshroo said that Iran could be a major trading partner for China, given its rich oil and gas reserves as well as petrochemicals.

Noting that China, with its high financial strength, can invest in large projects in Iran, he said that the “One Belt-One Road” project can bring Iran-China relations closer, both by land and by water. Therefore, the strategy of cooperation between the two countries is a great opportunity for 25 years.

Over the past 20 years, China has made tremendous strides in various fields of industry, technology, and knowledge-based sectors, and is now the largest exporter to the European Union, the United States, Germany, and Japan, he added.

On the other hand, due to Iran’s position in having strategic oil and gas reserves and its position in the Persian Gulf, this memorandum is such that Iran can have a very wide cooperation with China, Khoshroo said.

He cited industrial, energy, financial, monetary, and banking sectors as areas where the two countries could further expand their cooperation.

He went on to say that one of the reasons the United States opposes China is that they have come to the conclusion that China, with its current move, will become the world’s leading economy in five years and surpass the United States in a century.

The United States opposes the cooperation between Iran and China, as it believes that with this agreement and the increase in the level of cooperation, the Islamic Republic of Iran will further expand its ties with the international community.

Khoshroo noted that Iran-China’s cooperation is strategic, and the US has failed to isolate Iran.

The projects included the construction of the Goureh-Jask pipeline in Hormogan province, Miandoab Petrochemical in West Azarbaijan, and the Normal Hegzane in Arak, Markazi production line.

The projects will not only meet the country’s domestic needs, but they can strengthen Iran’s international energy presence.

In his remarks, Rouhani said “Those who imposed sanctions on Iran i.e. the US and the Zionist regime are fully aware that they can not impede Iran from development and boosting production.

Rouhani added that Iran will skirt Strait of Hormuz in the south of the country to export oil.

Goureh-Jask oil pipeline is aimed to increase the capacity of transporting daily crude oil to one million barrels, create sustainable development and job opportunities in Makran and export oil through the new station.

The national strategic project, which will meet over 95 percent of national needs, is being implemented by Iranian contractors and producers.

Another project is Miandoab petrochemicals which will bring 140,000 tons of growth in petrochemical products after being implemented.

In addition, the production line of hexane will provide the country with all petrochemical products needed for the nation.

He arrived in Moscow on Tuesday and referred to the purpose of his trip and US efforts to extend Iran’s arms embargo, saying, “Relations between Iran and Russia as two neighbors are strategic, and we need to be constantly consulting.”

According to Zarif, the special international situation at the present time doubles this need.

“The US and some Western countries, both in the Board of Governors and in the Security Council, are working to disrupt not only the foundations of the JCPOA but also the foundations of international relations,” he said.

“As we have seen in recent months, the US has again shown that it is totally opposed to international agreements, and the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization was the latest example that the country turned into a political controversy in an attempt to cover up its weaknesses,” he added.

“The stance of Iran, Russia, China, and some other countries are exactly the same regarding Iran’s arms embargo. The EU main members are also very supportive, but they have so far failed to pursue an independent policy against the US, so we all need to continue the negotiations,” Zarif maintained.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Chinese government’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, both wrote to the 15-member council and UN chief Antonio Guterres as the United States threatens to spark a so-called sanctions snapback under the Iran nuclear deal, even though Washington quit the accord in 2018.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council circulated Monday, the Russian minister said statements by US State Department officials that the Trump administration doesn’t plan to resume its commitments under the nuclear deal but plans to invoke rights allegedly deriving from the resolution endorsing it are “ridiculous and irresponsible,” according to the Associated Press.

He said the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six major powers and now has no legal right to try to use the UN resolution endorsing the deal to indefinitely continue the arms embargo, which is set to expire on Oct. 18.

Lavrov’s letter went further in explaining Moscow’s strong opposition to an indefinite arms embargo and US use of the “snap back” provision.

“We are proceeding on the basis that the United Nations should not become hostage to the political situation in the United States, which has decided to withdraw from the plan,” he said. “There are no valid grounds for raising in the Security Council the issue of an arms embargo against Iran.”

Washington has threatened to trigger a return of UN sanctions on Iran if the Security Council does not extend an arms embargo due to expire in October under Tehran’s deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said last week that a draft resolution on the embargo would be circulated soon.

Council veto-powers Russia and China have already signaled they are against reimposing an arms embargo on Iran. If they block the US-drafted resolution, then Washington will have to follow through on its sanctions snapback threat.

“The United States, no longer a participant to the JCPOA (nuclear deal) after walking away from it, has no right to demand the Security Council invoke a snapback,” Wang wrote in his June 7 letter.

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, enshrined in a UN resolution, allows for the return of sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, if Iran violates the deal. US President Donald Trump quit the deal in 2018, branding the accord from Barack Obama’s presidency as “the worst deal ever.”

The United States claims it can still trigger the sanctions snapback because the 2015 UN resolution still names it as a participant. Diplomats say Washington would likely face a tough, messy battle.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has also reacted to US efforts to extend Iran’s arms embargo within the framework of JCPOA noting the US withdrew from the Nuclear Deal and cannot claim to be a member anymore.

Rouhani added that while the country has been dealing with the coronavirus, it could manage to experience a boom in its stock market indices with the participation of the people.

As one of the ways paving the economic growth despite US pressures and one of the pivotal goals of the government, he named making domestic markets transparent.

According to media reports, the benchmark of the Tehran Stock Exchange moved to new highs at the start of the trading week on Saturday amid renewed investor sentiments toward the market’s future.

TSE’s main gauge, TEDPIX, gained 40,306 points for the day to climb 3.9% and stand at an all-time high of 1,068,844 points.

The rally swept through all small and large-cap stocks with large-cap shares having the upper hand as shown in the 4.3% growth in the TSE-30 index, which tracks the performance of 30 largest companies listed with the TSE in terms of market capitalization.

The value of deals by retail investors in both TSE and the junior equity market Iran Fara Bourse amounted to 95 trillion rials ($558 million) on Monday, which was way lower than the average in recent days, according to Donyaye Bourse website.

The analytical website said 3.26 trillion rials ($20 million) in fresh liquidity was injected into the market on Monday.