Desperate Iran clings to China to survive corona, sanctions

Menna Abdel Razek

After the outbreak of the corona virus in Iran, which ranks seventh globally in number of infections due to Tehran’s delay in taking the necessary preventive measures, its economy is suffering even more than it had since the United States imposed economic sanctions on it. This has made China the last card played by the mullahs to cope with the pandemic.

According to the WorldMeter website, the number of infections in Iran reached 53,183 cases, with about 2,157 new cases discovered per day, and 3,394 deaths on April 3.

Outbreak

The outbreak began in February after the first two infections were announced in the city of Qom, and then the situation began to spin out of control. The mullah regime and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have been blamed as being the main reason for the failure to confront the virus. Despite the suspension of all flights, the IRGC-affiliated Haman Airlines continued trips between Tehran and four cities in China, which was condemned by Iranian parliamentarians such as MP Sheeran Bahram. Others pointed fingers at the Chinese nationals studying in Tehran, while the regime claimed the outbreak was a biological war launched by Washington against Iran.

However, despite the continued flights with China, China requested the evacuation of its citizens, especially students in Qom, in March.

China

Since the imposition of US sanctions, Iran has been trying to move towards strengthening its trade and economic relations with China, but the Iranian economy has faced renewed pressure from the suspension of factories and the quarantine imposed on whole countries. Tehran announced its need for a loan from the IMF, which has long rejected its conditions for years.

After the outbreak in Iran, Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Kang Hwa announced that he collected four million yuan in 24 hours from the Chinese people to support Tehran, denouncing America’s position on imposing new sanctions despite the global crisis, adding that relations between the two countries will take a new turn after the pandemic.

For Iran, China is the last lifeline, as Beijing continues to import Iranian crude oil despite the US sanctions, claiming that this crude is only late payments to China for developing the Yadavaran and Azadegan fields in Iran, according to a research paper by the Washington Institute in March, noting China is Tehran’s most important trading partner.

China was Iran’s only customer in the field of liquefied petroleum gas, according to Kepler Data, which provides information on commodity economics. Meanwhile, the Iranian market was flooded with cheap Chinese goods to meet the needs of consumers, and the Chinese yuan ranked second in the currencies supported by the Iranian Central Bank. Beijing has been the main channel for supplying Tehran with weapons for more than forty years, especially between 2008 and 2012.

China has supported Iran diplomatically, especially in the UN Security Council, and it has condemned the continuation of sanctions against Tehran, especially in light of the pandemic. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in February that Tehran supports China in facing the corona virus, calling on Iranian leaders to develop strategic and comprehensive relations with China.

The Washington Institute pointed out that China is indispensable to Tehran, as China is the only one capable of assisting Iran economically, diplomatically and militarily, which Iran needs more than ever.