Trump threatens strikes, Xi watches silently the Israel-Iran war — is China secretly arming Tehran?

While US president Donald Trump has indicated that the US might join Israel in the ongoing war with Iran, China, and Russia are urging for de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle Eastern countries, as per a report.

China and Russia Condemn Israel’s Strikes

Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping have strongly opposed Israel’s attack on Iran and highlighted that it is a breach of the UN Charter and other norms of international law, as per CNN.

They condemned Israel’s action because Beijing does not want an all-out war against Iran that could topple the regime, as under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the two countries have deepened their strategic ties and have also held joint naval exercises alongside Russia, reported CNN. Beijing has also welcomed Tehran into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, the groups which are led by China and Russia to challenge the US-dominated world, according to the report.

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Are Chinese Planes Secretly Supporting Iran?

However, China might not just be watching the war silently but might also be secretly backing up Iran. According to Fox News, many Boeing 747s were seen leaving China for Iran over the last week, which has led to concerns that the CCP might be helping the Middle Eastern nation transport cargo or people out of the country as Israel continues to strike the country’s nuclear facilities.

FlightRadar24's data showed that about five flights were spotted flying from China to Iran, and the "mystery transport planes" had flown westward along northern China before crossing into Kazakhstan, south via Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and then were not visible on radar as they neared Iran, as per The Telegraph.

Director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, Robert Greenway pointed out that, "I think it's important to remember what the relationship is, forty-three percent of China's oil and gas comes from the Middle East, a large volume of that from Iran," quoted Fox News. He also emphasized that, China has "been relatively quiet – in fact, extremely quiet – about the current conflict and coming to Iran's assistance," as quoted in the report.

Greenway explained that, "It's more likely that Iran may be removing material or personnel or regime valuables to safe haven in light of the conflict. I think that's probably the extent to which China is willing to accept the risk associated with the current circumstances," quoted Fox News.

FAQs

Is the US officially at war with Iran?
No, but US President Donald Trump has hinted that the US might join Israel if the conflict escalates, as per reports.

Why are China and Russia siding with Iran?
Both countries have strategic and economic ties with Iran and oppose what they see as unlawful military aggression by Israel, as per the report.