In a provocative move with serious geopolitical consequences, China has openly pledged support for Iran against the United States and Israel. During a meeting in Tianjin, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, that Beijing would stand behind Iran’s efforts to resist so-called “power politics and bullying”—code words China routinely uses to attack the U.S. and its allies.
The meeting took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, a regional gathering increasingly hijacked by China and Russia as a counterweight to Western influence. What used to be billed as a security bloc for Central Asia has now morphed into a diplomatic clubhouse for the authoritarian elite—and this latest lovefest between China and Iran was proof of that shift.
China’s goal is simple: secure cheap oil, prop up a volatile ally, and thumb its nose at Washington. After the U.S. and Israel dealt humiliating blows to Iran’s military in the recent 12-Day War, Beijing sees a chance to swoop in as Tehran’s savior. In return, Iran offered “high-level exchanges” and deeper economic ties—a coded way of saying they’ll keep the oil flowing east if China keeps the U.S. off their backs at the U.N. Security Council.
But there’s more than oil at play. China is also reacting to the unraveling of what it once believed was a diplomatic masterpiece. Just two years ago, Beijing took a victory lap for brokering a temporary truce between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Now, Iran is isolated, its proxies gutted, and its nuclear ambitions more transparent than ever. Beijing is scrambling to maintain influence in a region that is swinging back toward U.S. leadership under Trump.
And it’s not just about Iran. With signs of tension emerging between China and Russia—especially as North Korea becomes a more valuable military ally for Moscow—China may be hedging its bets. Oleg Ignatov, a senior Russia analyst, noted that Pyongyang is now sending troops and weapons to aid Russia in Ukraine, giving Kim Jong Un fresh leverage over both China and the West.
That puts Beijing in a bind. If North Korea starts asserting independence from Chinese control, Beijing may turn to Iran as its new poster child for resistance to the West. Araghchi’s reminders that China should continue shielding Iran at the U.N. weren’t subtle; they were a warning that Iran expects Beijing’s full loyalty, especially now that the West is cracking down on Tehran’s nuclear cheating.
Chinese officials claim they “respect” Iran’s promise not to develop nuclear weapons, a laughable assertion considering Iran’s long-standing duplicity. But truth has little to do with this alliance. China wants to appear as a defender of “sovereignty” while undermining U.S. diplomacy, even if that means aligning with the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism.
Meanwhile, a potential new recruit looms on the horizon: Georgia. As the once pro-Western country grows more authoritarian and skeptical of democracy, China, Russia, and Iran all see a prime target for expanding their axis of autocracy.
This isn’t just a diplomatic spat—it’s a high-stakes chessboard with China pushing pawns into place against the U.S. Every move is calculated, and every handshake with Iran is another challenge to American leadership. The question is: Will we meet it head-on, or watch as our adversaries lock arms in our blind spot?
