U.S. moves towards war with Iran?

Iran should turn to China, Russia, in response to US hostility

The appointment of John Bolton as US national security advisor has raised fears of military action

Iran must strengthen its ties with Russia and China in response to growing hostility from the US, a top Iranian official said on Saturday.

"The use of radical elements hostile to the Islamic Republic shows that the Americans are trying to increase the pressure against Iran," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs committee.

"We need to strengthen our relations with important countries like China and Russia, which are also subject to US sanctions and face significant challenges from that country," he said.

His comments, carried by the semi-official ISNA news agency, were the first reaction by a senior Iranian official to President Donald Trump's appointment of conservative firebrand John Bolton as his national security chief.

On Iran, the former UN ambassador Bolton and Trump are in sync. Bolton opposes the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he has described as "the worst act of appeasement in American history".

The deal, a signature achievement of former-president Barack Obama lifted harsh sanctions on Iran in return for restriction on Iran's nuclear energy programme, which Western governments fear is being used to create a nuclear arsenal.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to tear up the deal, saying it was too easy on Iran and that Tehran has already broken parts of it.

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