Beijing is likely to step up support for Tehran as it tries to secure its strategic interests in the Middle East, analysts say, amid concerns over how the recent Iran-Israel war will reverberate across the resource-rich region.
Advertisement
But one analyst noted it was a balancing act for Beijing to avoid compromising ties with Arab countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council nations.
The assessment was made as policymakers around the world are closely watching how the 12-day conflict in June – briefly joined by the US – will affect regional geopolitics.
The Israeli government believes the United States would back another Israeli strike on Iran if Tehran restarts its nuclear programme and this was likely discussed when US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.
That has reignited worries over political stability in the Islamic Republic. Days after Israel began its missile attack on Iran last month, Netanyahu told ABC News that he would not rule out a plan to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Advertisement