Iran alone in crises: Where were Russia, China in their time of need?

Euronews

11 hours ago

When Russia sought assistance from China, North Korea and Iran amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some Western officials expressed concern about the formation of a new axis against Western countries.
But none of these countries came to Iran's aid during the Iran-Israel war or when American forces attacked Iran's nuclear facilities.
China and Russia, the most powerful countries in the axis, have only expressed verbal condemnation of Washington's actions but stopped short of providing any financial, material or military assistance to Tehran.
Alexander Gaboyev, Director of the Carnegie Centre for Russian and Eurasian Affairs, told the New York Times: 'Each of these countries is completely pacifist and they don't want to get involved in each other's wars. Unlike the US and its allies, these countries do not necessarily have the same structures, values and institutional links with each other."
The four countries have authoritarian regimes and are hostile to the United States, which has always tried to undermine them and question their legitimacy. They also have some strategic ties with each other which seek to circumvent US-led economic sanctions by advancing trade and exchanging weapons technology.
Michael Kimge, a professor of history at The Catholic University of America and a former US State Department official, also believes that 'there is probably little coordination between China, North Korea, Iran and Russia, so that they share views and have conversations around the centre of dissatisfaction with the United States, but not very meaningful coordination with each other.'
Among those countries, only Russia and North Korea have a mutual defence pact. In addition to sending weapons to Russia, North Korea has deployed more than 14,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in their more than three-year long military offensive in Ukraine.
Moscow and Pyongyang's relationship is rooted in a shared communist past and anti-American war on the Korean peninsula from 1950 to 1953. China under Mao Zedong's rule was also present then.
This same historical background also explains the close ties between China and Russia. The two countries' leaders have maintained a personal bond over the years, with their governments announcing 'unimpeded cooperation' only weeks before the Kremlin launched its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
China, of course, still shows itself adhering to some of the international values that Washington promoted during the pre-Trump era, and accordingly has refused to send major arms aid to Russia during the war.
However, according to US officials, China has played a role in rebuilding Russia's defence industries and remains one of the largest customers of Russian oil.
Russia and Iran have never had such a relationship. One of the reasons could be religious differences. Iran has a theocracy that is viewed with doubt by the other three secular and socialist governments of Russia, China and North Korea.
Moscow and Beijing view the spread of Islamic fundamentalism with concern. Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken draconian measures against Muslims in the country, cracking down on some Islamic rites among Uighur and Kazakh ethnicities.
Sergei radchenko, a cold war historian at Johns Hopkins University, also told the New York Times: 'there is no common value but statements about a multipolar world order between them, and at the same time, there are so many contrasts between them that Putin has pointed to and said that his relations with Iran's neighbours, including Israel and Arab countries, are more important than the friendship between Russia and Iran.'
'Putin is a cynical, opportunistic actor who thinks only of his strategic interests, and he will do so if he needs to sacrifice Iran. And of course, that feeling is reciprocated in Tehran as well," he added.
China was also a mere observer during the Iran-Israel military confrontation. Jinping said all sides 'should work to reduce tension'. The Chinese leader strongly condemned US President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran and accused the Washington of violating the UN Charter.
But like Russia, Beijing didn't help Iran either. Though China sometimes takes an official stance toward conflicts in the region, it often tries to appear neutral in order to safeguard its interests. The country has for years expanded ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Iran's two regional rivals of whom they've clashed with for years.
A broad regional war would jeopardize China's oil imports from those countries, so Beijing is seeking to calm the conflict, not inflame it.
China's goal to play a neutral mediating role in the Middle East became apparent in March 2023, when it played a role in a diplomatic agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. China also used that opportunity to strengthen its ties with Syria, Iran's ally in the region.
Enrico Fardella, a professor at the University of Naples Lorentale who formerly taught at Peking University, believes that now that Iran has been weakened by the war with Israel and the fall of Syria's longtime President Bashar al-Assad, Beijing is cautiously and carefully assessing the situation to see which governments, political groups or militias find the upper hand, or fill a vacuum in the region.
Yun Soon, a researcher on Chinese foreign policy at the Stimson Research Institute in Washington, believes the term 'pivot' to describe the relationship between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea remains valid.
Although these countries do not have a common defence pact, they share a common view of anti-America, anti-West, and anti-liberal democracy.
'The alliance, even without mutual defence, remains an alliance,' he noted. "That they do not fight for each other does not mean that their cooperation is insignificant. China has provided Iran with nuclear and missile technology, financed Russia's war and kept North Korea alive".
But Yun Soon noted that Beijing's support for Iran is limited and Chinese officials do not trust Iran's religious leadership. They see Iran as a country 'too simplistic, opportunistic, hesitant and unstable in foreign relations.'
He also added that Chinese officials are aware Iran, like North Korea, is an isolated country and needs China under any circumstances even if their relations sometimes suffer ups and downs.