Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on regional stability of reports that Iran has signed a 25-year strategic agreement with China.

The reports in the press that Iran and China have agreed a 25-year strategic agreement are premature. Iranian authorities, including Foreign Minister Zarif, have stated publicly that any agreement between the two countries has yet to be finalised and that negotiations are still ongoing. Details of the potential agreement are still emerging, and it is too early to make an assessment of any possible effects on wider regional stability.