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What Saudi Arabia and Iran's new partnership means for United States influence in the Middle East

For the first time since 2016, Iran and China have reestablished diplomatic nations. The two countries have vied for power in the Middle East for decades. But the nation behind the deal is China, a sign of the power’s growing political influence in the region as U.S. power declines.

Maria Fantappie, senior advisor at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva, joins host Scott Tong to explain the new agreement and what it means for both the U.S. and China.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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