TEHRAN, Nov 13: Iran and China vowed on Tuesday to boost ties that Beijing believes will help preserve regional and international peace, official Iranian media reported.

The two countries’ expression of interdependency are likely to irritate Western powers seeking tougher sanctions on oil-rich Iran over its atomic ambitions.

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country has repeatedly refused to heed UN demands to halt nuclear activities which Washington suspects is aimed at making bombs.

China, which can veto further UN sanctions, gets about 12 per cent of its oil imports from Iran and seeks more.“Enemies of the two nations must know that high-ranking Iranian and Chinese officials are determined to expand their bilateral ties and nothing can distort this friendly relation.”

Ahmadinejad told Yang, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said.

It quoted Yang as saying: “Expansion of ties with Iran has great importance for China’s government ... Improving Iran’s and China’s relations could be helpful in protecting regional and international peace, stability and security.”

In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry said sanctions were not the way to resolve the international confrontation over Iran’s nuclear work while also urging Tehran to be more flexible.

Yang described Iran’s cooperation with the UN.

International Atomic Energy Agency as positive, IRNA said.

SOARING TRADE: In Vienna, diplomats said the UN nuclear watchdog is likely to report this week that Iran has improved cooperation with an inquiry into shadowy atomic activity but that it remained unclear whether it was enough to resolve key questions.