Beijing seeking closer military ties with Tehran

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan held talks with the deputy chief of staff of the Chinese army in Tehran on Thursday to discuss the deepening of military ties and exchange views on various issues. According to China’s Defense Ministry, Admiral Sun Jianguo said Beijing is paying “great attention” to developing ties, and that his trip is also aimed at maintaining regional and international peace and stability.
During the meeting, Dehqan said that regional coalitions should unite to block US influence on the Middle East, claiming that the US took over Iraq and Afghanistan and then promised peace and secuity to their citizens but only made the situation worse, according to reports.
DEBKAfile: Syria was likely a main topic in the talks as both China and Iran have joined the Russian intervention. On October 2, DEBKAfile reported exclusively on Beijing’s dispatch of forces.