Li Zhaoxian writes that the interim agreement on Iran does not bode well for a fundamental change in US-Iran relations, and that the eventual resolution of the nuclear issue will likely remain an extravagant hope.

During the past week’s acrimonious public debate over the stalled nuclear negotiations in Geneva regarding Iran, China has escaped public censure. Beijing’s low profile was not due to indifference, but to China’s complex relationship with Iran and the United States.

If Rouhani is going to improve the Iranian economy, then he has to seek the cancellation or at the least the relaxation of sanctions by the West. In other words, the new Iranian President has to be more innovative and flexible in diplomatic policies, including the nuclear issue, writes He Wenping.

The sanctions by Washington are undermining the very goals that it would like to achieve with Iran, while dividing the old U.S. allies and strengthening China’s clout in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia refused to accept the UN Security Council seat as a non-permanent member. Wu Sike argues the decision reflects the growing dissatisfaction of the Middle East countries with the Obama administration’s current foreign policy and proposes China-US cooperation to resolve the conflicts in the region.

It will depend on the US whether Iran-US relations will enter a stage of normalization, writes Jin Liangxiang. The US may not be ready for such a process, though some senior diplomats are once again calling for reviewing US-Iran relations.