General Wei Fenghe, Chinese defense minister, has on his visit to Tehran condemned United States “unilateralism” and called for greater cooperation between “independent” countries.

During a meeting with Iranian counterpart Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, Wei attributed Wednesday much of the world’s insecurity and wars to US “hegemonic” actions, according to the account given by the official news agency IRNA.

China is one of the world powers in year-long talks trying to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the US left in 2018. Beijing has been gradually increasing its commercial and even military presence in the Middle East.

“The common security challenges and threats can be combatted through interaction and cooperation among the independent countries that are opposed to unilateralism in the world,” Wei noted. He said that closer ties between Iranian and Chinese armed forces, who conducted their first trilateral naval exercises with Russia in 2019, would help thwart such challenges and in fighting ‘terrorism.’

Ashtiani described US policies as the root cause of growing crises and said multilateralism was needed as a counter. He highlighted Iran’s policy of developing ties with neighboring and Asian countries.

The Chinese defense minister also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and with Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri.

"We pursue strategic relations in accordance with mutual political trust regardless of international developments," Raisi said, noting that “successful implementation” of Iran’s 25-year strategic agreement with China, signed March 2021, was a priority.