On Monday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said that China does have influence over Iran, but any attempts to get Iran to change its behavior by China haven’t worked and that while we’ve talked with China about trying to get Iran to change its behavior, “President Biden’s more concerned about our place in the region, our interests in the region, our alliances and partnerships, and, again, that was really on display Saturday night.”
Co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked, “I’m curious what kind of leverage you think we have or don’t have with the Chinese to put pressure, if they could, on Iran in this context?”
Kirby responded, “We have had multiple conversations with our Chinese counterparts about using the influence that we know they have in Tehran to try to get Iran to modify its behavior. Thusfar, if they have had such conversations, it certainly hasn’t had any practical effect. China is trying to manage its own place in the region. President Biden’s more concerned about our place in the region, our interests in the region, our alliances and partnerships, and, again, that was really on display Saturday night.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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