China and Iran signed a 25-year-long “strategic partnership” agreement on March 27, by which both states would cooperate to challenge the United States, such as against U.S. sanctions on selling oil from Tehran to Beijing. The deal covers politics, economy, and security, according to Chinese state-run CGTV. Iranian Tasnim reported the agreement also included judiciary, defense, human and cultural, and regional and international issues. A leaked draft that circulated last July showed that China would invest in Iran’s telecommunication, nuclear energy, ports, railroads, and would receive a stable oil and gas supplement from Iran. The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil sector in October 2020 for supporting the Quds Force, a foreign paramilitary and espionage force in the region. However, China keeps on buying oil from Iran. Chinese ambassador to Iran Chang Hua said on Feb. 5 that China was the only country that buys oil from the Islamic Republic, …