World needs China after Iran hits US base in Qatar

New Straits Times

6 days ago

When Iran launched missiles at the United States' Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday (June 23, 2025), many feared the start of a regional war.
However, a surprising fact soon emerged: Teheran had warned Washington hours before via two diplomatic channels, according to Axios and Reuters.
This act of forewarning, rare in modern warfare, was not a sign of weakness — it was a calculated signal to the United States, China, and even Asean. Iran's strike was about precision, not escalation. By issuing a warning, it demonstrated strategic restraint.
Teheran aimed to maintain deterrence without triggering a full-blown war, especially after suffering US-Israeli airstrikes on its nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
The measured response showed a long-term view: retaliate without provocation, preserve ambiguity, and leave room for diplomacy.
Crucially, Iran's action was also aimed at China, its top oil customer and a key player in Middle Eastern diplomacy.
Beijing's involvement in peace efforts — such as the China-GCC Summit in 2022 and the Asean-GCC-China Summit in 2025 — positions it as a credible broker of restraint; if only the US and Israel truly understand the importance of a multipolar world.
By issuing an advance warning, Iran ensured that China wouldn't be forced into a corner or pressured to pick sides, for example. It allowed Beijing to continue advocating stability while maintaining strong ties with Teheran.
The latter understands multipolarity. But beyond diplomacy, Iran now needs China for another reason: science.
The U.S.-Israeli airstrikes employed Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) — "bunker buster" bombs designed decades ago for North Korean terrain. Iran's underground nuclear facilities, however, are geographically and structurally distinct.
These differences render American assumptions about the bombs' effectiveness questionable. The true damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure is unclear. Western intelligence lacks the capability to accurately assess destruction in Iran's complex underground systems.
Chinese nuclear scientists, equipped with advanced imaging and diagnostic technologies, are uniquely positioned to help Iran understand the extent of the damage.
In effect, the bombings have opened a new chapter of Sino-Iranian scientific cooperation. It is now China — not just in diplomacy, but in technical expertise — that is most capable of deciphering what was destroyed and what remains.
Beijing is not in a position to tell the US and Israel everything since the two have considered China to be their systemic challenger.
Thus, while the US paradoxically also needs this information swiftly, it is beholden to China even more than before on the questionable quality of the "bunker buster bombs".
A war fought on incomplete intelligence — especially one involving nuclear facilities — risks spiralling into miscalculation. China's involvement could help stabilise the situation by offering a clear-eyed scientific assessment, one that neither side may fully trust unless verified through a third party.
Meanwhile, Asean, under the current Group Chairmanship of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has emerged as a quiet third pillar of balance.
Committed to neutrality, dialogue and non-alignment, Asean offers diplomatic cover for restrained actions like Iran's. It also provides a regional platform where major powers and isolated states can engage without being trapped in zero-sum military alliances.
Ultimately, Iran's strike on Qatar was not merely retaliation — it was a signal. It communicated strength without recklessness, left diplomatic doors open for China, and aligned with Asean's preference for de-escalation.
Most importantly, it underscored the growing importance of multipolar diplomacy and scientific cooperation in resolving 21st-century conflicts. In a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty, the path forward will not be paved by unilateral action or military might alone.
It will depend on coalitions of restraint, the legitimacy of multilateral dialogue, and yes, on the scientific and diplomatic capabilities of rising powers such as China. Thus ,the US needs China more than ever — not to agree with it, but to help verify what the US and Israel truly bombed.
The Iran-Qatar episode is not just a signal from Teheran. It is a mirror held up to the world, showing who can still stabilise a volatile global order, and who cannot afford to ignore that fact. China and Asean can. The US and Israel can't.