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The peacock throne’s gambit: Iran’s Reza Pahlavi plans to flip the script on Beijing

Allies of exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi are signalling a potential reset in Tehran’s ties with China and Russia, even as the 65-year-old increasingly positions…

By Samantha Johnson / March 19, 2026

Allies of exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi are signalling a potential reset in Tehran’s ties with China and Russia, even as the 65-year-old increasingly positions himself as a central figure in Iran’s political future – a claim that contrasts with Washington’s more cautious stance.

Speaking at a media briefing in Washington on Thursday, Pahlavi’s chief of staff, Cameron Khansarinia, dismissed Beijing’s mediation efforts in the ongoing conflict, arguing that the current Iranian leadership is beyond diplomatic engagement.

“I don’t think there is any mediation to be had with this current regime,” he said, accusing Tehran of waging war not only on its own people but across the region.

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China dispatched its special envoy for Middle East affairs, Zhai Jun, on an intensive regional tour in early March following the outbreak of conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday described the trip as part of China’s “intensive diplomatic mediation effort”, adding it would not “cease as long as the conflict continues”.

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On Thursday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that both countries should “consistently take actions conducive to peace”, according to a Beijing readout of the call.

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