3 May 2021 Tehran has signed on for China’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure project, Iran Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami declared Monday. Eslami said the BRI developed by China includes “major information technology plans” that are projected to be worth billions of dollars to the country, Tasnim News Agency reports. In February, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the close cooperation between Tehran and Beijing as a “win-win interaction,” saying such strategic relations help both countries expand their global footprint. In an article written for The People’s Daily on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and China, Zarif expressed hope Iran would play a greater role in the BRI, as part of Tehran’s push for a global infrastructure development strategy to link Asia, Europe and beyond.