TEHRAN, April 26 (MNA) – China's special envoy to the Middle East says Iran is a “special partner” of Beijing in West Asia, appreciating Tehran’s measures in the region.Zhai Jun made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani in Moscow, on the sidelines of the Consultations of Deputy Foreign Ministers/Special Envoys of the BRICS group of emerging economies on the Middle East Affairs.

Zhai condemned the Israeli regime’s recent terrorist attack against the Iranian diplomatic premises in Syria and thanked Tehran for its actions in defense of the Palestinians’ rights, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

China is Iran’s largest trade partner.

Both countries are subject to different levels of illegal sanctions imposed by the US They have enjoyed close ties in recent years, particularly after the United States reinstated sanctions on the Iranian economy in 2018 after unilaterally withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal.

The two countries signed the landmark 25-year partnership agreement in March 2021 in an attempt to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.

The deal was announced during President Xi’s visit to Tehran back in 2016.

It sets the outlines of China-Iran cooperation in political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international domains for the next 25 years.

MNA/Press TV