Newsletter: China-Middle East

Meet Iran's new ambassador to China

This week, the Islamic Republic announced the appointment of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as its new ambassador to Beijing. Who is Fazli? What does the appointment mean for the Iran-China relationship?

Joyce Karam
Joyce Karam
May 23, 2025

With a new round of talks expected between the United States and Iran today in Rome, Tehran is strengthening its strategic ties with China — as it has been doing since talks began last month.

This week, the Islamic Republic announced the appointment of Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli as its new ambassador to Beijing.

Who is Fazli? What does the appointment mean for the Iran-China relationship?

Let’s find out!

Thanks for reading,
Joyce (sign up on LinkedIn or online here)

Leading this week

Announcing the change of guard at the embassy in China, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, told reporters on Wednesday that Fazli is the new ambassador to Beijing, effectively replacing Mohsen Bakhtiar.

Who is the new ambassador?

Fazli, 66, is no stranger to the political scene. He is a staunch conservative and, as Beatrice Farhat reports, has served in various roles within Iran’s legislative and security apparatuses since 1992. His tenure as interior minister from 2013 to 2021 brought him notoriety, particularly during the final four years of his term. In 2017 and 2019, Fazli oversaw a bloody crackdown on protesters opposing the regime’s economic policies. According to Amnesty International, hundreds were killed by security forces.

Those actions led the US Treasury Department to sanction Fazli in May 2020 under Executive Order 13553.

Fazli is also considered a regime insider — a trusted confidant with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Supreme National Security Council, which advises Iran’s top leader, Ali Khamenei.

What does this mean for China?

Three takeaways from Fazli’s appointment:

  • This marks an upgrade in representation from Mohsen Bakhtiar, who served as ambassador since 2023. Bakhtiar was not as embedded in the regime’s inner workings and lacked significant political and diplomatic experience.
  • The move signals a return to the pre-Bakhtiar era and draws parallels with former ambassador Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh, a seasoned diplomat who served from December 2018 to June 2023. Zadeh’s tenure included the signing of the landmark 25-year strategic partnership agreement between Beijing and Tehran.
  • The appointment reinforces Iran’s alignment with China, especially as nuclear talks with the United States face hurdles and speculation about potential Israeli strikes resurfaces. The notion that Iran would pivot away from Beijing in favor of a nuclear deal with the United States was always misplaced. Russia and China are foundational to Tehran’s foreign strategy, relationships that have only deepened over the past eight years.

From oil trade to naval drills and missile component supplies, the China-Iran partnership is at its peak. Deal or no deal with Trump, there is little hedging when it comes to Tehran’s ties with Beijing. Fazli’s appointment — dispatching an envoy with deep knowledge of Iran’s security and political landscape — is yet another indication of that.

Photo of the week

Iran's interior minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, speaks during a press conference in the capital Tehran on July 1, 2018. — ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Image

Deals and visits ✈️

Thanks to Al-Monitor's Rosaleen Carroll for helping with this section.

 

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