Analysis: Could China push Iran into a peace deal? Only if it gets something in return | CNN

A visit to Beijing by Iran’s top diplomat – days before US President Donald Trump is set to travel to the Chinese capital – has turned up the spotlight on a key question: can China take on the role of peace broker in US-Iran conflict? With a shaky ceasefire and stop-and-start diplomacy so far failing to make for a durable end to a war that threatens to drag down the global economy, both Tehran and Washington are looking for an offramp. And Beijing, on paper anyway, is an obvious contender to take up that mantle. China has long been a close diplomatic and economic ally of Iran – an allegiance founded on its shared frictions with the US and a thirst for cheap oil. It also has an open line to Washington – and the direct ear of Trump during his meeting with leader Xi Jinping next week. It was that timing that likely drew Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Beijing, where he aired high hopes that Beijing could prevent “violations of international peace and security” in a meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, according to an Iranian readout. And Trump, too, is likely to raise the conflict with Xi when he makes his expected trip – once set to focus on economic c