Iran Should ‘Rethink' Nuclear Ambitions: China State Media Pundit
Iran's leadership should reconsider its nuclear ambitions and settle for the symbolic win after its retaliatory strikes against the United States, a prominent Chinese commentator said on Tuesday as oil prices dropped for the first time in a week amid a shaky ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump.
"Iranian activities associated with the manufacture of nuclear weapons, even if they are for civilian use, will be difficult to continue in the future. From a realist perspective, Iran should rethink its nuclear path," said former Global Times editor Hu Xijin, who led the nationalistic state-run newspaper from 2005-2021.
Hu's comments, aimed at nearly 25 million followers on China's X-like microblogging website Weibo, are not directly representative of the Chinese government's views. However, the prolific public commentator is one of China's best-know propagandists and his posts credibly capture part of the mood in the country.
China is a major extra-regional stakeholder in stability in the Middle East, where over half of its oil imports originate-some covertly from Iran. It has been Tehran's largest trading partner for over a decade, including for sanctioned goods like military hardware and material to make missile propellant.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., told Newsweek: "The Persian Gulf and nearby waters are an important route for international trade in goods and energy. Keeping the region safe and stable serves the common interests of the international community."
Iran was the "biggest loser" in the conflict with Israel and the United States, Hu said, citing the heavy blow dealt to its civil-military infrastructure and the killing of several leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, followed by the U.S. bombing of three nuclear facilities over the weekend.
The final days of the Israel-Iran conflict were "performative," with both nations and the U.S. emerging with something to call a "victory," according to Hu, who posted his thoughts after Trump declared what is currently a vulnerable and uncertain ceasefire.
Tehran "did not have sufficient strength and international support to contain the U.S.-Israeli threat, ultimately placing itself in an untenable and dangerous situation," he said while urging the Chinese public to support Beijing's military buildup
"Strength is the ultimate universal language of all showdowns in this world. Remember," Hu said.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told former British Prime Minister Tony Blair-visiting China for a World Economic Forum event-that Israel and the United States had "set a dangerous precedent with serious consequences" by conducting preemptive strikes based on "potential future threats."
"Peace requires strength to defend, but strength alone does not guarantee true peace," Wang said. "All parties to the conflict should take steps to de-escalate the situation, return to the path of political dialogue and negotiation, and work to restore peace and stability in the Middle East."
Hu Xijin, former editor of China's Global Times newspaper: "Our planet is still not one that runs on reason. Some hard security dilemmas cannot be resolved, and war is still the way acute problems explode. In the end, power decides who wins and who loses.
"Iran has its own ambitions, but not enough power and too big an appetite, as if political rhetoric can make up for the shortcomings of strength. It suffered big losses as a result and finally had to seek compromise with the United States and Israel."
Oil prices have come down to under $70 a barrel after Trump indicated the U.S. airstrikes on Iran on Sunday were a once-off, for now.
But with Israel and Iran yet to fully settle into the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, all options, including Tehran's threat to close energy shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, remain a possibility. Such a move would likely cause a spike in crude oil prices, hurting major importers like China.
Oil prices peaked past $100 per barrel in March 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If prices reach the same or similar levels because of conflict in the Middle East, it could benefit America's adversaries, Trump said in a social media post on Monday.
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