Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, bumped elbows after signing the China–Iran comprehensive strategic agreement on March 27 in Tehran. 

“Relations between the two countries have now reached the level of strategic partnership and China seeks to comprehensively improve relations with Iran,” Mr Wang said, according to Reuters.

Full details of the accord were not disclosed, but the New York Times reported that a draft of the agreement indicated that China would invest $400m into Iran over the next 25 years in exchange for oil imports from Iran. Iranian state media reports that China’s interests in the country are centred around oil, gas and transportation. 

The Chinese foreign minister has been on a week-long tour of the region, visiting Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf.

Iran has been under pressure from the US in recent years and whether it will rejoin the Iran nuclear deal remains uncertain after the Trump administration ended the deal and imposed sanctions in 2018.