In a speech before members of parliament on Sunday, Iran's prospective next top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said he would prioritize Tehran's ties with China, Russia "and other countries that sided with us" against US economic sanctions.

Araghchi, whose nomination by President Masoud Pezeshkian was advanced by the parliament's Foreign Policy Committee this week, vowed to continue his predecessor's focus on warming ties with Beijing and Moscow. Former hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash in May, had deprioritized relations with the West.  

"China, Russia, countries that helped Iran in difficult times, newly emerged powers, new opportunities in Africa, Latin America and East Asia will be the foreign policy priority of the Pezeshkian administration," Araghchi said.

Araghchi previously served as Iran's deputy foreign minister, including during the 2015 nuclear deal negotiations with the West, Russia and China, and has come under fire from some in parliament for his support for a return to that deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.