I have an oped in today& #39;s @nytimes on the China-Iran partnership deal. Beijing& #39;s relationship w/Iran is its most strategically important in the Mideast, and will likely deepen as time passes. But it won& #39;t be without difficulties... 1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/opinion/china-iran.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/2...

Each side faces conundrums in dealing with the other - China wants to avoid picking a fight with the US over peripheral matters, or conspicuously aligning itself against Iran& #39;s regional rivals; Iran is resentful of dependence on external powers. 2/

The United States should seek to exacerbate each side& #39;s challenge in deepening ties with the other - exposing the cost to Tehran of choosing reliance on China over compromise with the West, and enlisting regional allies to prevent China from bolstering Iran without penalty. 3/

Like many of you I& #39;m wary of threat inflation; as we focus more on China there will be a temptation to tie issues to it amid competition for resources/attention. We& #39;ll need to address China-Iran ties while keeping the issue in proportion and maintaining our strategic focus. 4/

The deepening of the Iran-China relationship may be inevitable, but that doesn& #39;t mean that we should let it be easy or cost-free for either Tehran or Beijing. /End