Antoaneta Bezlova

After a week of intense bargaining, Iran has again agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment program to avert United Nations sanctions, further undermining US-led international efforts to curb Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. And with the emergence of an ever-stronger partnership between China and Iran, Washington’s woes are far from over.

China may not have a flamboyant oil tycoon like Russia’s Yukos ex-boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky but Beijing is embroiled in a similar, albeit smaller, court battle over oil and money as the Kremlin.