CHINA PERSPECTIVE

China sits at the center of the parallel economic war around the Iran-Trump conflict. SCMP documents US sanctions against a China-based operator over alleged Iran oil trade links — Washington tightening the noose on Chinese buyers of Iranian crude. Beijing formally denies supplying air defense systems or drones to Iran, though analysts read this denial as a diplomatic red line rather than factual confirmation. China also claims it does not 'benefit' from the Iran-US conflict — a carefully crafted equidistance posture. Beijing separately raises alarms at the UN over a potential Japanese 'nuclear breakout,' inserting itself into the broader nuclear non-proliferation debate triggered by the Iran crisis.