# China-Iran rare earth element cooperation > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/china-iran-rare-earth-element-cooperation > Updated: 2026-08-22T19:54:50.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2. China and Iran are expanding their scientific and technical cooperation to focus on the exploration and processing of rare earth elements. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is funding joint workshops with Iran’s national science foundation to map geological resources. Initial efforts target specific locations in central Iran, such as the Bafq belt and sites including Esfordi, Chadormalu, and Choghart. These areas are believed to contain light rare earths like cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium within apatite formations. This collaboration represents a strategic dimension of the bilateral relationship, occurring as Iran faces economic and military pressure from the United States. The partnership aims to evaluate Iran’s potential for these critical minerals, which are essential for high-performance magnets, electronics, radar, and advanced weaponry, while China maintains a dominant global position in processing capacity. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-22: China and Iran expand strategic partnership into rare earth elements China and Iran have launched a joint scientific program to cooperate on the exploration and processing of rare earth elements, expanding their strategic partnership into critical technology sectors. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-and-iran-expand-strategic-partnership-into-rare-earth-elements ### 2026-08-13: China expands scientific ties with Iran to explore rare earth deposits China is funding scientific workshops with Iran to explore rare earth element deposits in the Bafq belt, aiming to assess the economic and strategic potential of these critical minerals. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-expands-scientific-ties-with-iran-to-explore-rare-earth-deposits --- Cite as: China-Iran rare earth element cooperation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/china-iran-rare-earth-element-cooperation