President Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation from his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi to visit Iran.

Xi "gladly accepted the invitation" by the Iranian leader, according to a joint statement on the last day of a three-day state visit to China by Raisi.

No date was given as to when the state visit to Iran will take place.

The trip would be Xi's first visit to Iran since 2016.

Beijing and Tehran have strong economic ties, and in 2021 signed a 25-year "strategic cooperation pact".

Xi and Raisi on Thursday called for the lifting of sanctions on Tehran as an integral part of a stalled international agreement on its nuclear programme.

The two leaders called for the implementation of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, under which Tehran agreed with several countries, including the United States, to curb its nuclear programme in return for economic sanctions relief.

In 2018, the then US president, Donald Trump, withdrew the United States from the deal and ordered the reimposition of sanctions on Iran. President Joe Biden said in 2021 that the US would return to the deal if Iran moved back into compliance, but talks have stalled.

"All relevant sanctions should be fully lifted in a verifiable manner to promote the full and effective implementation," Xi and Raisi said.

China and Iran emphasised that lifting sanctions and ensuring Iran economic benefits were important components of the agreement. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2023-02-16 HKT 17:23