Beijing has been critical of Tehran’s recent strategic blunders, but sees Iran’s continuing existence as still vital to its interests.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) and Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh (left) at the Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Qingdao, June 26, 2025. Credit: Ng Han Guan via AP Images
The 12-day War on Iran by Israel and U.S. has come to an end after what President Trump has defined as the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Despite the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s claim of “victory”, the general observation in China is that Iran lost in a most humiliating way. The war has revealed a lot about Iran’s strengths, but more so about its weaknesses. Moreover, the brief conflict has told the world much about China’s role, or lack thereof, in
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