China to send scientists to Iran to explore rare earths: Why it matters

China is preparing to send scientists to Iran to work on rare earth exploration and processing, opening a new area of cooperation between the two countries at a time when rare earths have become a strategic issue in the global race for critical minerals.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has included the “exploration and processing of rare earth elements” in its latest joint workshop programme with the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF).

Under the programme, China will provide 30,000 yuan (around $4,200) for each workshop, covering meetings, accommodation and domestic travel. Iran will support international travel for Iranian participants and accommodation for Chinese researchers visiting Iran.

The arrangement also provides for Chinese scientists to travel to Iran for the joint workshops, making the rare earth cooperation particularly significant given China’s dominance of the sector.

The programme comes as the US and other countries seek to reduce their dependence on China for critical minerals and related processing.

What are China and Iran planning?

The rare earth initiative is part of a broader expansion of scientific cooperation between China and Iran.

The workshop programme covers five areas. Along with rare earth exploration and processing, they include nanomaterials for disease detection, pollution monitoring, earthquake-resistant construction and greener manufacturing.

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The rare earth component stands out because China has developed extensive expertise in mining, separating and processing these minerals.

The cooperation follows a broader joint research call launched by the two countries on July 4.

The sixth joint call by the INSF and NSFC will support up to 15 collaborative research projects. The focus areas include water and energy, renewable energy and energy storage, hydrogen technologies, water management amid drought and climate change, and agricultural and medical biotechnology.

Iran will provide up to 50 billion Iranian rials for each project involving an Iranian lead researcher, over a maximum of three years. Chinese researchers will receive separate funding from the NSFC.

Applications opened on July 4 and close on August 23. Final selections are expected in the second half of December, with approved projects scheduled to begin in January 2027.

China and Iran’s science ties

The latest initiative builds on scientific cooperation that began nearly a decade ago.

China’s NSFC and Iran’s National Science Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing in 2017.

Since then, the two sides have worked together in areas including medicine, renewable energy, materials science, climate change and artificial intelligence.

Their joint workshop programme began in 2024, initially covering areas such as climate change, AI, advanced materials and manufacturing.

The expansion into rare earths brings the partnership into a field with much greater strategic importance.

Why this matters now

Rare earths have become a major pressure point in the US-China relationship.

After US President Donald Trump launched a trade war with China last year, Beijing imposed rare earth export controls that disrupted supplies to some US manufacturers and exposed Washington’s dependence on Chinese processing capacity.

The US has since accelerated efforts to develop alternative sources of critical minerals and processing facilities.

On August 7, the Trump administration announced $3 billion in investments in critical-mineral and battery projects aimed at strengthening US supply chains and replenishing defence stocks.

The moves underline why rare earths are no longer simply a mining issue. They have become part of the wider competition over technology, manufacturing and national security.

Why Chinese scientists going to Iran matters

The immediate significance of the programme is not how much rare earth Iran can produce today. It is the expertise China is bringing to a country that has potentially valuable but largely undeveloped resources.

Chinese scientists will travel to Iran under a programme that specifically covers rare earth exploration and processing — areas where China has built world-leading capabilities.

For Iran, the cooperation could help it understand its rare earth potential and eventually develop domestic processing capabilities.

For China, it strengthens scientific ties with Iran while expanding cooperation in a strategically important mineral sector.

But Iran is still years away from becoming a major rare earth producer. It would first need to establish commercially viable reserves and build the mining, separation and processing infrastructure required to develop an industry.