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Isolated and under fire: Iran strikes out as Russia and China stand aside

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Tehran retaliates against U.S. and Israeli strikes while key partners limit support to diplomacy

Iran is increasingly isolated as it confronts intense military pressure from the United States and Israel, with longtime partners Russia and China offering little beyond diplomatic criticism and calls for restraint.

The war intensified after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of the conflict. Since then, Tehran has responded by widening the scope of the confrontation, launching missiles and drones at targets across the Middle East and beyond.

However, despite years of cooperation and shared opposition to Western influence, neither Vladimir Putin nor Xi Jinping has shown any sign of providing direct military support to Iran.

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Iran expands the battlefield

In retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli campaign, Iran has targeted military bases, energy infrastructure and strategic facilities across the region. Missile and drone strikes have reached as far as Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Turkey and several Gulf states.

The attacks have also rattled global energy markets. Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply, have forced tankers to divert or halt voyages altogether.

With the route effectively shut down for large parts of commercial traffic, oil prices have surged and major economies are scrambling to secure alternative energy supplies.

The growing disruption underscores the global consequences of the war, as energy flows from the Gulf remain critical for markets in Asia, Europe and beyond.

Russia prioritises Ukraine

Analysts say Moscow’s restrained response reflects a calculated decision to avoid direct confrontation with Washington.

Russia has deepened ties with Iran over the past decade, cooperating on military technology, missile systems and regional security issues. But the Kremlin’s priorities remain focused on the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Putin has other priorities, and chief among them is Ukraine,” said Russia analyst Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute. Direct military involvement in Iran’s war with the United States would carry enormous risks for Moscow while offering little strategic benefit.

Some Russian officials also acknowledge that the Middle East conflict is drawing international attention away from Ukraine — an outcome that may indirectly serve Moscow’s interests.

Rising oil prices are another advantage. Higher global energy prices strengthen Russia’s war-time economy and increase revenue from its own exports.

China’s cautious strategy

China’s response has also been carefully measured. Beijing has criticised the use of force and called for negotiations but has avoided taking steps that could entangle it militarily in the conflict.

China has spent years expanding its diplomatic role in the Middle East while building strong economic partnerships across the region. However, its foreign policy generally avoids security commitments far from its core interests.

Unlike the United States, whose alliances often include formal defence obligations, China prefers relationships centred on trade, investment and arms sales.

This approach allows Beijing to maintain ties with multiple rival states at once — including Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours — without being drawn into their conflicts.

Analysts say the conflict may even offer strategic benefits for China. As U.S. forces focus resources on the Middle East, Beijing gains a clearer view of American military capabilities while avoiding direct involvement.

Such insights could prove valuable as China continues to assess potential future conflicts closer to home, particularly around Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Energy concerns remain for Beijing

China’s biggest vulnerability in the crisis is its heavy reliance on Middle Eastern energy supplies.

About 45% of China’s imported oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making disruptions there a major concern for Beijing. However, the country has spent years building strategic petroleum reserves and diversifying suppliers.

Experts say China also has significant volumes of Iranian oil already stored in tankers or storage facilities, giving it a short-term buffer against supply interruptions.

Diplomacy instead of intervention

With military involvement unlikely, both Moscow and Beijing appear to be positioning themselves as potential diplomatic mediators.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held calls with European and Middle Eastern leaders urging dialogue, while President Putin has also spoken with Gulf officials and Iranian representatives.

At the same time, Russia appears careful not to tie its long-term strategy to the survival of Iran’s current leadership.

Analysts point to Moscow’s approach in Syria as an example. Despite backing former president Bashar al‑Assad for years, Russia quickly adapted when political power shifted in the country, preserving its strategic military bases and regional influence.

The same flexible approach may shape Moscow’s thinking toward Iran.

For both Russia and China, Iran remains strategically useful as a counterweight to Western influence. But the current conflict highlights the limits of that partnership.

As the war escalates, Tehran is discovering that even its closest geopolitical partners may be unwilling to fight on its behalf.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 05.03 2026


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So many posiblities for Iran with its back against the wall and nobody helping.

They should email me for ideas.

Like going after chip foundaries like TSMC, Intel and Samsung especially <3-5 nm ones.

Target the clean rooms and watch nVidia and other tech take down trilions off the stock market.

Send the world in to serious turmoil.

They are targeting data centres already.

Minimal death but severe blow to the world and US.

You make the cost of war unbearable.

  • Popular Post

Very good strategy by the US here. They sent the CIA into the Ukrainan conflict and the results are:

  1. keep Russia militarily weak and bleeding, so it is unable to assist Iran.

  2. get real world experience with drone warfare, which is now used on Iran

  3. kill off thousands of North Korean soldiers that Putin bought and sent to the front lines (nothing to do with Iran, but a side benefit)

Russia is sidelined, the US military technology is highly refined, and China is kept at bay because of their oil dependency - especially important because Maduro is now gone. Good job USA.

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1 hour ago, FlorC said:

So many posiblities for Iran with its back against the wall and nobody helping.

They should email me for ideas.

Like going after chip foundaries like TSMC, Intel and Samsung especially <3-5 nm ones.

Target the clean rooms and watch nVidia and other tech take down trilions off the stock market.

Send the world in to serious turmoil.

They are targeting data centres already.

Minimal death but severe blow to the world and US.

You make the cost of war unbearable.

Perhaps Iran needs some of those chips

  • Popular Post

Russia and China are confident about the situation in Iran. Air campaigns will not lead to the overthrow of the regime. China seat comfortably as Iran has granted safe passage to ships sailing to China.

Well if they keep sending Irans ships to the bottom then it shouldn’t be tied up too long in the strait of Hormuz. Time will tell.

36 minutes ago, jcmj said:

Well if they keep sending Irans ships to the bottom then it shouldn’t be tied up too long in the strait of Hormuz. Time will tell.

It's not the ships but the potential for drones that is threatening throughfare.

5 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Russia and China are confident about the situation in Iran. Air campaigns will not lead to the overthrow of the regime. China seat comfortably as Iran has granted safe passage to ships sailing to China.

Let's be clear.

The real conflict in this campaign is not between the US and China. And it's not between the US and Russia.

The conflict right now is between the US and the City of London. Notice how quickly Trump in his press conference called out the UK for refusing to allow the US to use Diego Garcia as a staging area. He didn't mince words about friendship or diplomacy. And when Lloyds pulled insurance for tankers transiting the Straits of Hormuz attempting to cause global economic chaos, Trump immediately stepped up and ordered the DFC to replace them. In essence, the Straits of Hormuz remains open with tankers escorted by the US military. At every point, Trump is removing the hold of the British imperialists over Iran and the Middle East. The end result of this conflict will be a fully independent and free Iran cooperating with other GCC members under the Board of Peace with European Globalists expelled from the region.

Trump is taking this action intentionally with an agenda to undo the British system that has imposed Globalist control for decades. It's not about regime change, but about expelling those Iranian assets who are loyal to European imperialism. All of this will be complete before the American sesquicentennial in July, where the first time in 250 years the US will finally be able to declare itself fully free from control by the old world.

The timing of this move by Trump is not an accident.

Great news! Countries are now stepping up to buy Russian oil. This war is great for Russia! Ukraine will fall within 4 months.

31 minutes ago, uncletiger said:

Let's be clear.

The real conflict in this campaign is not between the US and China. And it's not between the US and Russia.

The conflict right now is between the US and the City of London. Notice how quickly Trump in his press conference called out the UK for refusing to allow the US to use Diego Garcia as a staging area. He didn't mince words about friendship or diplomacy. And when Lloyds pulled insurance for tankers transiting the Straits of Hormuz attempting to cause global economic chaos, Trump immediately stepped up and ordered the DFC to replace them. In essence, the Straits of Hormuz remains open with tankers escorted by the US military. At every point, Trump is removing the hold of the British imperialists over Iran and the Middle East. The end result of this conflict will be a fully independent and free Iran cooperating with other GCC members under the Board of Peace with European Globalists expelled from the region.

Trump is taking this action intentionally with an agenda to undo the British system that has imposed Globalist control for decades. It's not about regime change, but about expelling those Iranian assets who are loyal to European imperialism. All of this will be complete before the American sesquicentennial in July, where the first time in 250 years the US will finally be able to declare itself fully free from control by the old world.

The timing of this move by Trump is not an accident.

If you check the Starboard Maritime Intelligence ship which is a tracking company that monitors vessel and analyse their activity, ships travelling in both directions every day is down to zero. There are no US escort and no shipping company has taken up the DFC's insurance offer. You should know better not to take Trump's words as gospel and that he actually has a plan.

7 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

Perhaps Iran needs some of those chips

Way less than the US and its allies.

And it can source chips from China.

A major stock market crash is more important.

And slowing AI.

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