Nothing in the evidence suggests that Washington is at war with Beijing. Indeed, the two powers professed their fondness for each other at the recent Trump-Xi gala summit in Washington. But the Iran conflict is putting the two powers in direct competition over energy, sanctions, technology, maritime security and, perhaps most crucially, the future balance of power in the Middle East.
søndag 4. oktober 2026
The China factor behind the Iran war
The war between the United States and Iran is no longer just a confrontation between Washington and Tehran. A second contest is taking shape alongside and behind it. China is not fighting the United States directly, but its economic, technological and diplomatic links to Iran are complicating Washington’s strategy and ability to win the conflict.This raises a larger, crucial question: Is the Iran war becoming another indirect front in the wider US-China rivalry?
Nothing in the evidence suggests that Washington is at war with Beijing. Indeed, the two powers professed their fondness for each other at the recent Trump-Xi gala summit in Washington. But the Iran conflict is putting the two powers in direct competition over energy, sanctions, technology, maritime security and, perhaps most crucially, the future balance of power in the Middle East.
Nothing in the evidence suggests that Washington is at war with Beijing. Indeed, the two powers professed their fondness for each other at the recent Trump-Xi gala summit in Washington. But the Iran conflict is putting the two powers in direct competition over energy, sanctions, technology, maritime security and, perhaps most crucially, the future balance of power in the Middle East.