BEIJING - Foreign companies are welcome to invest in Iran, the county's top envoy to China said on Tuesday, one day after Washington urged China to join Western countries' sanctions against Teheran.

"Iran welcomes foreign investment in different areas, such as telecommunications, transportation and energy. Iran created a very good environment and condition for foreign investment, and lots of countries have already invested in Iran, ranging from European countries, Asian and some Arabian countries," Ambassador Mehdi Safari told China Daily.

The ambassador made the remarks after the United States asked China to follow Western countries' footsteps to withdraw investment from the Middle East country.