Iran, China sign deal to warn US against isolating them, professor says

Over the weekend, Tehran and Beijing signed a 25-year cooperation deal amidst great fanfare in the Iranian capital. University of Tehran Professor Mohammad Marandi, who is close to the regime, told Fox News that it is about much more than what's on paper. 

The deal was five years in the making. While details were not made public, it is rumored to involve a guarantee of cheap oil to China for two and half decades in return for Chinese investment in Iranian infrastructure. The deal's value is estimated at $400 billion, and Iran makes no secret that it's interested in access to Chinese technology. There has been speculation that the deal could include the establishment of a Chinese-Iranian bank, which could help trade in the face of U.S. sanctions against Iran. "Most importantly," Marandi added, "both countries are very interested in cooperating over the Belt and Road Initiative, which would increase trade through Central Asia dramatically over the coming years." Belt and Road is China's initiative to expand its reach from Beijing to Berlin with infrastructure projects linking continents to facilitate trade and enrich China.