Faced with increased U.S. sanctions, Iran under Raisi has been reluctant to revive the nuclear deal. Instead, Iran has increased uranium enrichment, blocked international inspectors, and become a nuclear threshold state.Raisi also continued the “Look to the East” policy of his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. To this end, he and his government pursued greater rapprochement with China.Beijing, in turn, has offered an economic lifeline by importing Persian oil and brokering a diplomatic agreement between Homeland and Saudi Arabia in March 2023.