Iran

Iran is important [to China], it's a key component of the Belt and Road, Iran is a strategic partner in the Gulf, and the opening of the Gulf is quite important not only for Chinese national energy security but also for other components such as helium that China uses for microchip production. Having said that, the United States is also in dire need to limit this kind of standoff. It costs a lot of money to keep the war machine in that region. Therefore, if Trump and Xi find a solution to open Hormuz in a way that lets Iran find also a kind of flexible engagement, letting Chinese and American cargo ships move in the Gulf, that can show that Trump made a good deal and that Xi Jinping is portraying China as a stabilising factor in the world."

The Emiratis made it clear early on that they didn’t want this war, but it’s also clear that since the first Iranian strikes on the U.A.E. took place, Abu Dhabi’s been quite transparent that they see the regional picture as having changed dramatically,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies in London. “Abu Dhabi hasn’t confirmed what they have targeted, or even if they have targeted, but from the early days of the war it seemed only a matter of time before we saw increased kinetic involvement of different Gulf states in the war.”

Burcu Ozcelik, a Middle East expert with the Royal United Services Institute thinkthank, said: “Iran has proven to be a formidable adversary, in that it has demonstrated resilience that many who should have known better didn’t predict." “Trump wanted a quick win, and was not prepared to commit the substantial military force that would have been required to dislodge the regime properly." ...“[For Iran] It is the insurgent’s dilemma,” says Ozcelik. “At first to survive is to win, but there’s always a point when that is no longer enough. When Iran gets to that point, we don’t know.”