Ever since the new regime took office in Iran last year, the resetting in Sino-Iranian relations has been taking place at a breakneck speed, drawing headlines from renewed discussions of the Iran-China alliance, a Chinese "shift" towards Iran that destabilizes the region and threatens U.S. interests.

The 25-year strategic partnership, which Beijing and Tehran signed in March last year, gives major benefits for two U.S. adversaries wedded in their opposition to the United States and the rule of law.

By building ties with Iran, Beijing hopes to strengthen its foothold in the Middle East that undermines the United States and further secures access to Iranian oil and other important commodities.

WHAT DOES IRAN GAIN FROM THIS ALLIANCE?

Iran would gain billions of dollars in Chinese energy and infrastructure investment, undercutting the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions against the regime which it might divert to build its missile and drone arsenal, advance its nuclear program and help in making aggressive posturing in the region.

Adding to it, the Chinese & Russian-led SCO decided unanimously last September to elevate Iran to full membership.

On the question of breaking the deadlock in the contentious nuclear deal, China’s position is that Iran should not be subject to any form of sanctions and should have access to nuclear energy, but it is against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and supports international supervision as an antidote to the nuclear issue.

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

Chinese support on this front comes rather as a way of resolving tensions between Iran and the US, to remove the sanctions against Iran. as sanctions stand as the main impediment in implementing the 25-Year Iran-China Agreement and thus improving economic ties between the two countries.

Sino-Iranian military cooperation is already exceeding anticipated levels, but Beijing is deliberately downplaying the growing cooperation in the security domain, as it's trying to develop ties with both Tehran and the Gulf countries together.

Thus, the growing alignment between Beijing and Tehran is providing "Dragon", a platform to increase its clout in Asia and the Middle East and giving a message to Washington that the great power game with it won't occur in Indo-Pacific alone!