Iran’s military is licking its wounds after a brutal 12-day war with Israel—a war that exposed just how vulnerable the regime has become. With its air defenses shredded and its Russian weapons pipeline choked off by the war in Ukraine, Tehran is now looking eastward for salvation. And who’s stepping in? China. The Chinese Communist Party is seizing the opportunity to deepen military ties with the Islamic Republic, supplying advanced weapons and technology in a move that should have every American paying attention.
This isn’t just about Iran buying some new fighter jets. This is about a dangerous new axis coalescing—an authoritarian alliance between Beijing and Tehran that threatens to destabilize not just the Middle East, but global security. While the Biden administration and its globalist allies spent years appeasing Iran and pretending China was a harmless trading partner, the real world moved on. President Trump understood the threat, which is why he pulled out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal and cracked down on Beijing’s economic aggression. Now, with Biden out of office and America back on the path of strength, the next challenge is clear: confronting this new China-Iran military realignment before it becomes entrenched.
Let’s be clear—this pivot wasn’t Iran’s first choice. For years, Tehran relied on Russia for high-tech weapons, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and fighter jets like the Su-35. But thanks to Putin’s endless disaster in Ukraine, Russia’s defense industry is buckling under pressure. Most of Iran’s requests for weapons have gone unfulfilled, and the so-called “alliance” between Moscow and Tehran has proven to be more transactional than strategic. As Vladimir Sazhin of the Russian Academy of Sciences admitted, there’s never been a “true alliance” between the two nations in over 500 years of relations.
Enter China.
Unlike Russia, China isn’t bogged down in a war of attrition. Its military-industrial complex is humming, and it’s eager to expand its footprint in the Middle East—not with boots on the ground, but with weapons, influence, and surveillance technology. According to Hongda Fan, a Chinese academic specializing in the Middle East, Iran is prioritizing air defense after its recent humiliation, and China is more than capable of filling that void. China’s J-10C fighter jets, which proved effective in Pakistan’s recent skirmishes with India, are now reportedly on Tehran’s shopping list. And while Beijing denies it’s delivering weapons to a country “engaged in warfare,” their track record of saying one thing and doing another speaks for itself.
Iran’s “Look East” strategy began under the late President Ebrahim Raisi, an anti-West hardliner who doubled down on partnerships with China and Russia. But the truth is, this shift started decades ago. Ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has been running from Western influence and embracing authoritarian allies. What’s different now is the desperation. Iran’s economy is in shambles, its people are restless, and its military just took a major hit from the combined force of Israeli and U.S. strikes. Tehran needs new weapons—and fast.
For China, the timing couldn’t be better. Iran’s vulnerability gives Beijing leverage. And if Tehran wants a deeper military partnership—something resembling the “iron-clad” alliance between China and Pakistan—it will have to bend to Beijing’s terms. That means less of Iran’s delusional “great power” self-image, and more subservience to the Chinese Communist Party. Don’t be surprised if we soon see joint exercises, tech transfers, and Chinese advisors showing up in Tehran.
This is how empires rise—or try to. China isn’t just building ships in the South China Sea or bullying Taiwan. It’s making long-term strategic moves across the globe, using Iran as a chess piece in its larger game against the West. And let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t about peace. When China says it wants to “maintain balance” in the Middle East, what it really means is tipping the scales against America and our allies.
The good news? We don’t have to play defense anymore. Under President Trump, the United States projects strength once again. And that strength must be used to tighten sanctions on Tehran, expose Beijing’s underhanded military deals, and bolster our allies in the region—especially Israel. Iran is weak, desperate, and leaning on a communist regime for survival. That’s not a position of power. It’s a sign of decline.
But only if we have the backbone to act. Appeasement is over. The era of American strength is back.