Iran seeks closer ties with China and “has never trusted the West,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.<br />Jinping paid the first visit to Iran by a Chinese leader in 14 years and met with Khamenei in Tehran.<br />“Westerners have never obtained the trust of the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said.<br />“The government and nation of Iran have always sought expanding relations with independent and trustful countries like China.”<br />“China has always stood by the side of the Iranian nation during hard days,” Rouhani said, in comments posted on his official website.<br />Officials from the two countries signed 17 documents and letters of intent to broaden bilateral cooperation in industry, transportation, railways, ports, new technology, tourism, the environment and energy.
