Iran wonders: Are we too dependent on China?

“It’s an uneven relationship,” said Mohsen Shariatinia, a China analyst at the Tehran-based Center for Strategic Research. He said Iran relies solely on China for many products and needs Beijing’s political support, while the Chinese have numerous export markets and can buy oil and gas from many other producers.

“If we needed to distance ourselves from China, who could we approach?” said Abbas Abdi, a political analyst critical of the government. “Russia, or the European Union? The United States?” China, he said, is “our only option, and the Chinese know this.”…

But cheap imports and oil ties do not mean that China is sure to strongly defend Iran’s international interests, analysts say. And if China were to join the U.S.-led push for stronger sanctions against Iran, there is not much Iran could do about it.

“Iran has tried to buy Chinese security against United States policies,” Abdi said. “But we have no real power lever to really make sure they remain committed to their support.”