Benoit Faucon,
Wall Street JournalExit follows broader Chinese pullback from Islamic Republic amid U.S. pressureChina National Petroleum Corp. has pulled out of a $5 billion natural-gas project in Iran as escalating tensions threaten to sever Beijing's trade with Tehran, a key lifeline for the Islamic Republic.The exit by Beijingwhich had vowed to resist U.S. restrictions on Iranis a blow to Tehran's attempts to fight growing economic isolation and comes after Washington brought new sanctions on Chinese companies still trading with Iran.
