World News: China (Wink, Wink) Emerges as Goodwill Mediator in US-Iran Conflict
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- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Wednesday, 15 April 2026 10:01
- Written by Olivier Longhi
China has emerged as a mediator in the US-Iran conflict capable of satisfying all parties. As a supporter of Iran, Beijing can push Tehran to negotiate, while inching closer to Russia and its vast supply of oil.
The US-Iran conflict could lead to the emergence of China as a mediator capable of satisfying all parties. In a game of billiards with three stripes, Beijing is imposing itself as a supporter of Iran by pushing the latter to negotiate with the United States while getting closer to Russia, oil obliges. Explanations.
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Discreet and silent since the beginning of the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, China could well be the solution to the diplomatic impasse that seems to be taking shape after more than a month of war. There are several reasons why Beijing could play a key role.
The first of a practical nature for the Chinese economy, is its dependence on Iranian oil, which is currently hampered by the blockade of Iranian ports and the closure, at least partial, of the Strait of Hormuz, which is competing in its sudden fame with the Strait of Aden. This dependence on Persian black gold (China imports 90% of Iran's oil) is likely to push Beijing to accept, or at least negotiate, the terms of a balanced peace treaty with the United States.
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Privileged mediator
China, by interceding indirectly in favor of the United States, would thus attract the good graces of an American president whose aura and image are fading as the conflict drags on. Another reason that would make China a privileged mediator is its relations with Vladimir Putin's Russia, whose tanks have been overflowing with oil since the implementation of sanctions, admittedly eased by the United States in recent days, following its partial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a three-cushion game of billiards in which the United States, China and Russia take turns playing their trump cards, the Middle Kingdom nevertheless seems to be in the best position to win by taking advantage of Russian oil, thus reducing its dependence on Iranian black gold while mitigating its own energy crisis. At the same time, it allows Russia to return to the diplomatic game, to the great displeasure of the Ukrainians, who with their abundant oil would cause crude prices to fall if it were to flood the world market.
As for the United States, having already eased sanctions on Russian oil and gas, it anticipated the rise of China, understanding that the Iranian issue would not be resolved as quickly as hoped.
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Iran Instrumentalized
Far from the conflict but ultimately so close, Beijing, as the world's second largest economy, knows how to assert its interests not through chaos but through negotiation and a form of Confucian wisdom.
Iran, however, the first to be affected by the events, would then find itself instrumentalized by Beijing, which is not very concerned about the fate of the Iranian population (it is enough to dwell on the fate that Beijing has in store for the Uyghur community), but only interested in its oil while the United States, also motivated by Iranian black gold, leaves the future of Iran to the Iranians.
Inspired in this by the Iraqi experience more than twenty years ago, demonstrating that democracy cannot be exported. And in ambush, Russia, long ostracized, is regaining a place among the greats that it might have thought lost, at least temporarily. And the Iranian people in all this? It seems that this is no longer the priority of either the United States or Beijing. Oil obliges.
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Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently a professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist and recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, was a press and publishing consultant, and was a communications consultant.