'US uses oil to change China's stance on Iran'

The US administration is pressing key Arab states to export more oil to China to gain Beijing's support for sanctions on Iran, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

According to an article appearing in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, the initiative aims to lessen China's dependence on Iranian energy and trim Chinese resistance to tougher sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program.

The newspaper claims US President Barack Obama hopes to get Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to boost their oil exports to China in order to convince Beijing to distance itself from Tehran both politically and economically.

The Wall Street Journal has quoted unnamed US and Emirati officials as saying that the UAE has recently agreed, in a move coordinated with Washington, to boost its oil exports to China to between 150,000 and 200,000 barrels a day, while Saudi Arabia is apparently prepared to offer China more oil.

Meanwhile, the newspaper says many diplomats and Middle East analysts are doubtful that the US and the Arab states will succeed over the long term in breaking Beijing's dependence on Iranian oil and gas.

The experts argue that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both obliged to export oil by quotas established by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). They question how the two countries could significantly boost exports to China without surpassing the set quotas.

Beijing is the second-largest buyer of Iranian oil. The Asian giant has pledged tens of billions of dollars in new investment in Iran's oil and gas infrastructure in coming years.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao scaled down US hopes for broad cooperation on Iran last week following a meeting last week with Iranian First Vice President Reza Rahimi.

China is willing "to maintain high-level contacts with Iran, encourage mutual understanding and confidence, promote practical cooperation between the two sides and close coordination in international affairs," Wen said in Beijing on Thursday.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly rejected Western allegations that it has a secret nuclear weapons program.