Iran part of Chinese-Russian front against western unilateralism
For years, Iran has pursued a “Look East” policy, seeking to strengthen its ties with the Eastern bloc to stand up to the West’s unilateral and hegemonic policies. China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, have now become crucial anchors for Tehran. Since the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of unilateral sanctions, and more recently, after France, Germany, and the UK reactivated the UN snapback mechanism, both countries have consistently backed Tehran. In their latest move, they joined Tehran’s legal efforts to challenge the reimposition of sanctions.
Yet, Iran has only recently emerged from a 12-day war with Israel, involving US participation, and continues to face military threats. Against this backdrop, the question arises: how deep can this alignment go, and where might the limits of Chinese and Russian support lie?
Omid Khazani, an international affairs analyst, told Iran Daily that both China and Russia see Iran as part of the front resisting the US-led Western unilateral order.
IRAN DAILY: How has the 12-day war shaped the joint security policies of Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow?
KHAZANI: The 12-day war may carry different meanings for each of these countries. For Iran, China, and Russia, the implications vary. From Iran’s perspective, the war was another example of the one-sided game played by the US and Israel. International institutions, particularly NATO, the European Union, and the Council of Europe, failed to condemn the aggression; only Iran’s regional and international partners, including China and Russia, voiced their condemnation and offered moral support.
Iran, in turn, has come to recognize its defensive weaknesses and is therefore expected to turn to its strategic partners for security guarantees, with Russia and China being the most accessible and significant. Pakistan could also play a secondary role.
More broadly, every such war triggered unilaterally by the West under US and European leadership, often through their regional proxy, Israel, sends a message to the entire world, including China, Russia, Iran, and other independent or “Global South” nations. These states are increasingly discontent with an international order tied up with US unilateralism. While they may not officially acknowledge it, behind closed doors their informal rhetoric and back-channel talks have placed greater emphasis on closing ranks against Western unilateralism and NATO’s dominance.
As for China’s role, Beijing has long followed a “keep a low profile” strategy, steering clear of deep global entanglements. But China has now emerged as a world power whose security concerns are too significant to ignore. Its GDP is set to overtake that of the US, which sees Beijing as its biggest rival economically and militarily. This reality compels China to look for allies, and both Russia and Iran can form part of that circle.
Beyond security, the Belt and Road Initiative remains central to China’s economic strategy, and Iran occupies a key position on that map. Any instability or conflict in Iran would run counter to China’s economic interests. Russia, too, would suffer enormously from Iran’s collapse or a full-scale war there. After the Ukraine conflict and severe sanctions, Moscow views Iran, China, and other partners as lifelines.
For China, even if not purely strategic, Iran is tactically important: any conflict in the Persian Gulf or Iran would jeopardize global energy security, from which China, the world’s main energy consumer, would directly suffer. It is therefore natural that defense, security, and military cooperation among Iran, China, and Russia will continue to gain momentum.
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