Iranian

If the question is why the US attacked an Iranian ship with a weapon not seen in 40 years, now we know the answer: it had a "gift from china"

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In the heart of themissile crisis from Cuba, several Soviet ships heading to the Caribbean they turned around at the last moment when detecting the US naval blockade, avoiding a direct clash between superpowers for a matter of hours. That moment showed that sometimes the true turning point in a crisis occurs not when the conflict breaks out, but when someone decides what crosses (and what doesn’t) a line in the sea. A shot that had not been heard in decades. The American destroyer attackUSS Spruanceagainst the Iranian cargo ship a few days ago marks a turning point that goes far beyond a tactical incident, since it represents the first real use of a naval gun against another ship in almost 40 yearsa practice that until now existed more in manuals than in real operations. They explained the TWZ analysts That the procedure was methodical, with warnings for hours before disabling the engine to allow boarding, but its execution reveals the extent to which the US Navy is willing to escalate the use of force to enforce the blockade. This type of actions, which are reminiscent of Cold War doctrinesshow us a change in the rules of the game in the Strait of Hormuz, where deterrence is no longer just verbal or economic, but also physical and visible (in fact, there are action video). In Xataka Something unprecedented in the war has happened: Ukraine has knocked down Russian shaheds from a hotel 500 kilometers away The freighter that should not pass. He Wall Street Journal had in the morning that the intercepted ship, the MV Touskait was not just any target, but part of a logistics network linked to sanctions and with a history of frequent routes between China and Iranwhich placed him on Washington’s radar before the incident. His attempt to break the blockade, despite warnings, suggests, according to Washingtonwhich was transporting something valuable enough to take the risk, in a context where thousands of containers make immediate inspection on the high seas practically impossible. These types of fleets, capable of avoiding sanctions and maintaining the flow of trade between both countries, have become in key pieces of a covert war economy that mixes civilian commerce and potential military use. The Chinese “gift”. And it is at this point where a few hours ago they emerged Donald Trump’s wordssuggesting that the ship was carrying a “gift from China”, one that introduces a strategic element that would explain the forcefulness of the response. The reason? Bloomberg explained that it was not just about stopping a freighter, but about intercepting what could be sensitive or dual-use material with military implications, crossing an undeclared but evident red line for Washington. Although Beijing has denied itthe simple fact that this suspicion exists turns the operation into something more than a sanctions control, transforming it into a direct message about the limits of Chinese involvement in the conflict. Diplomacy, blockade and accusations. Iran’s reaction has not been long in coming, denouncing the seizure as a violation of international law and calling the action piracy, adding a diplomatic layer to an already tense operation. In parallel, China has expressed concern over the impact of the incident on stability in the region, while the United States maintains its position that all ships linked to Iran are susceptible of being intercepted. This exchange of accusations reflects a scenario in which the line between the application of sanctions, military pressure and open escalation is increasingly blurred. {“videoId”:”x8oyhxs”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”Kim Jong Un in a cinematic video shared by North Korean TV”, “tag”:”North Korea”, “duration”:”713″} Memories of another time. If you like, the general context reinforces the magnitude of the episode a little more: the United States is applying a large-scale naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, something that has not been seen since missile crisis from Cuba, and has already diverted dozens of ships before this incident. However, the case of Touska introduces a precedent perhaps more dangerous, being the first to directly defy orders and force an armed response, opening the door to future confrontations if other ships attempt the same. In this scenario, the balance is fragile and the margin of error minimal. In Xataka Millions to protect a war frigate. A Bluetooth tracker worth a few euros has been enough to follow her in real time The global strategy. Finally, it is possible that what at first glance seems like a specific action can also fit into a much broader logic: that of control flows of critical materials in the middle of war and mark limits to external actors without directly escalating to a larger conflict. The combination of a suspicious vessel, a unusual military response and the simple mention of China draws a pattern in which maritime trade becomes a field strategic battle. Image | US NAVY In Xataka | Europe has an explosive plan for Hormuz: one where there are mines, escorts, an alliance with Iran… and no sign of the US In Xataka | Iran has 300 internal reports where it models the war against the US. They are all based on the same thing: Ukraine (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news If the question is why the US attacked an Iranian ship with a weapon not seen in 40 years, now we know the answer: it had a “gift from China” was originally published in Xataka by Miguel Jorge .

Saudi Arabia’s ace in the hole to break the Iranian blockade in Hormuz

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Iran’s survival strategy in this war is based on a tactic of geopolitical suffocation: strangling the Strait of Hormuz to impose an unbearable economic cost on the West. However, while the financial market blindly speculates with express truces and the price of fuel follows its own dynamics at the pumps, the physical reality on the ground is about to change. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have a logistical “antidote” capable of rescuing up to 7 million of those barrels, radically changing the equation and breaking Iranian blackmail. The “antidote” in the desert. This lifeline was not improvised yesterday. Known as the East-West Pipeline (or Petroline), It began to be built in the 80s for fear that the war between Iran and Iraq will paralyze the Persian Gulf. According to Middle East Eye, It is a pharaonic artery of some 1,200 kilometers that winds through the Arabian desert, connecting the gigantic extraction fields in the east directly with the port terminal of Yanbu, bathed by the waters of the Red Sea. In this way, the crude oil can go out into the world without coming into the range of the Iranian missiles in Hormuz. As confirmed by the CEO of Saudi Aramco, Amin Nasser, in Financial Timesthe company is working around the clock to raise pumping to the pipeline’s maximum capacity: 7 million barrels per day. Before the crisis, only 2.8 million barrels circulated there. Nasser detailed that about 2 million barrels will remain to feed its refineries on the west coast, leaving the not inconsiderable figure of 5 million barrels per day ready for the global market. The machinery in motion. Saudi Arabia has stepped on the accelerator. “We should reach maximum capacity in a couple of days,” said the head of Aramco, according to statements collected by Reuters. If Riyadh manages to consolidate this route, the kingdom will be able to export close to 70% of its usual shipments. The energy analyst Javier Blas underlines in your column for Bloomberg that right now the critical thing is to look at the flow export outside of Hormuz, and not so much in wellhead production. And shipping data supports this frenetic activity: Bloomberg has detailed as an “armada” of at least 25 supertankers (known as VLCCs) have changed course and are sailing towards the port of Yanbu to load this lifesaving crude oil. Adding to this ball of oxygen is the effort of the United Arab Emirates. Through their Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which also bypasses the dangerous strait to exit the Gulf of Oman, they are providing between 1.5 and 2 million additional barrels per day, according to the data of Wall Street Journal. The small print. However, as with any large-scale emergency logistics operation, there is no magic wand. Experts warn of several blind spots in this strategy: The port funnel: According to the agency Argus MediaAlthough the Saudi pipeline manages to transport 5 million barrels for export, the port of Yanbu has its own limits. Its nominal loading capacity is about 4.5 million barrels per day in two terminals, but market sources place the proven effective capacity closer to 4 million. The fuel crisis (distillates): As Arne Lohmann Rasmussen warns, analyst cited by Middle East Eyethe current problem goes beyond crude oil; It is a diesel and aviation fuel crisis. The pipeline East-West It transports crude oil, not refined products. This leaves markets such as Europe, which were highly dependent on Middle Eastern refineries (such as the gigantic Emirati Ruwais plant, recently hit by a drone). The Houthi threat and the collapse of the tanks: Moving the oil outlet to the Red Sea returns the spotlight to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. As Greg Priddy points outships loading in Yanbu bound for Asia will have to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, exposing themselves to drone attacks. Added to this is that, faced with the inability to remove ships through Hormuz, the Gulf countries are filling their storage reserves to the limit, forcing Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq to drastically cut extraction from their wells, as it has progressed Bloomberg. Buying time in the “Battle of the pipelines”. Nobody in the oil industry deceives anyone. Aramco’s own CEO admitted the “catastrophic consequences” What would a prolongation of this scenario have for the world economy? As Blas concludesthese alternative pipelines do not replace the opening of the Strait of Hormuz permanently. Its main mission is another: to buy valuable time. If the Saudi-Emirati duo manages to get this enormous pipeline to spit millions of barrels into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman, they will stop the panic at the Western pumps and take away Iran’s main negotiating asset. Far from the political and stock market noise, the resolution of this crisis is being fought in the logistical desert. Image | Aramco Xataka | Light and gas have become luxury items. Europe’s plan is to intervene in prices no matter what the cost

China did not intervene in the war to protect Iranian oil. Because your plan is longer than the conflict

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For years, the relationship between China and Iran has been underpinned by a constant oil flow. However, the recent conflict between Iran and Israel caused Beijing He ordered his ships to turn in the Ormuz Strait. A seemingly technical gesture revealed something deeper: the limits of Chinese energy diplomacy. From partner to spectator. The recent climb between Iran and Israel, which included direct attacks and cross reprisalshe tested the link between China and the Islamic Republic. Although a truce promoted by Washington was declared, these weeks the gaze was set on this part of the planet. In that context, the international community looked towards Beijing, waiting for a clear gesture of support or at least mediation. But China opted for a prudent position: verbal sentences, called to dialogue, routine statements in the UN, According to Apnews. No military support, technical assistance, or real involvement. And that caught the attention, especially for what is at stake: between 80% and 90% of the oil that will export ends in Chinese refineries, which represents approximately 1.2 million barrels per day, According to France 24. Even so, Beijing chose diplomatic silence before the conflict. China is not the United States. And it does not intend to be either. While the United States maintains a network of military basesnaval fleets and strategic alliances in the Middle East, China has no comparable presence. Your only regional base It is in Yibutiand his attempts to expand to Oman or the Arab Emirates have been stopped, in part, by Washington’s pressure. As He explained The Interpreter, China has opted for a non -intervention policy. Its diplomacy in the region is pragmatic, transactional, guided by commercial interests rather than ideological affinities. “China’s footprint in the Gulf is commercial, it is not ready for combat,” said Craig Singleton, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. For his part, William Figueroa, expert in China-Iran of the University of Groningen, It has been overwhelming In The Washington Post: “China has no capacity to militarily influence this conflict. Nor does it benefit from a broader war.” Although it is a matter of pragmatism. From Beijing, Zhu Feng, Dean of International Relations at Nanjing University, He has remarked In AP News that volatility in the Middle East “directly affects China’s economic security.” However, that does not mean that it will be absent. His greater diplomatic letter In the region was the 2023 agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, negotiated in Beijing. Although he was read as a Chinese geopolitical triumph, The Interpretter He has nuanced: “The distension had already been brewing with the help of Kuwait, Iraq and Oman. China simply gave him the final touch.” That discreet presence in the diplomatic field contrasts with its constancy in another key front: the energy. China has continued buying Iranian raw at reduced prices, Taking advantage of Tehran isolation For US sanctions. As has reported on their networks The journalist, Bachar el Halabi after the recent US bombings against Iranian nuclear facilities, oil exports to China did not stop, and in fact, they reached record levels. However, the relationship is fragile. In 2020, Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadineyad criticized the agreement of 25 -year cooperation between the two countries for considering it opaque and suspicious. Rumors about alleged Chinese military bases in Iran They circulated in the local pressfeeding distrust. When there is a dependency. This week, Reuters He has revealed that Washington has authorized that ethane cargoes – a key natural gas for the petrochemical industry – are loaded in US ports to China, as long as they do not end in Iranian territory. The operation, according to the letter released by the Office of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce, is approved under the condition that the product is not discharged or redirected towards Iran. It may seem a bureaucratic technicalism, but it really says much more. This type of movements exposes how the United States continues to set the rules of the global energy game, even when it comes to exchanges between its two main strategic rivals. For China, the message is clear: its energy trade with Iran is still under surveillance. And for Iran, the warning is even more evident: Any attempt to avoid economic isolation, even indirectly, can be blocked from afar. The dragon rhetoric. Beijing wants to be a global referee, but he is behaving as a spectator. A recent example is the Defense Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (OCS), held in Qingdao, where Chinese Minister Dong Jun spoke of a world in “chaos and instability,” According to Deutsche Welle. The meeting was attended by their counterparts from Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Belarus. China projected symbolic power, but did not offer concrete solutions. In fact, even when they will threatened to close the Ormuz Strait – where 20% of the world crude, vital for China – pekin transits only the diplomatic tone, without major consequences. And, as multiple analysts explain, China has little appetite for risk. It is not yet willing to “risk the neck” in others. As It has concluded Craig Singleton in AP News, “When missiles fly, the so promoted ‘Strategic Association’ of China with Iran is reduced to communications. Beijing wants Iranian Iranian oil and headlines as a peacemaker, but let Washington load with the risks of hard power.” A strategic patience. China remains a key actor of the global economic order, but its energy diplomacy does not obey improvisation or shyness. On the contrary, its caution in the Middle East can be a symptom of a deeper strategy: observe, resist external pressure and prepare the terrain before intervening seriously. Beijing is not dragged by the logic of immediate power. He knows that in regions as volatile as Middle East, the cost of acting too soon may be greater than waiting. His silence, far from being absence, can be part of a longer play. Because oil unites, yes, but it also marks the rhythm of a power that is not in a hurry, … Read more

The Iranian nuclear program has only delayed a few months

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If the images do not lie, and everything indicates that They do notin the days before the American air operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the satellite captured and revealed unusual movements in the Fordow uranium enrichment complex, one of the three objectives of The hammer operation. Not just that. The United States has just been part of the victorious proclamation with A report which puts the result of the mission in serious. Anticipation. According to him Visual analysis Of the photographs taken by Maxar Technologies between June 19 and 20, a series of cargo trucks, bulldozers and heavy machinery were positioned in accesses to the main tunnel of the underground complex. The registered activity suggests deliberate work in the entrances with land. In other words, snapshots indicate that they will go He sealted clearly The accesses to its underground nuclear installation of Fordow days before US bombings, suggesting that I was looking to protect her of possible Israeli terrestrial incursions. Implications Although the United States claims to have destroyed key capabilities, Analysts held until yesterday that the previous seal, together with the possibility that nuclear material has been dispersed, raised doubts about the real impact of the attack. In addition, the Blocked inputs They hinder the evaluation of damage, and there are indications of other non -inspected nuclear facilities, which feed the uncertainty about the future of the Iranian atomic program. The report. Plus: In the last hours triumphalism in the White House has given way to silence. The attack labeled as a devastating military operation that “volatilized” Tehran’s nuclear capacity has encountered A report of the defense intelligence agency (day) that directly contradicts that narrative, estimating that the bombings have barely delayed the Iranian nuclear program by less than six months. This preliminary evaluation, released by means Like CNN or the New York Timeshas triggered a hard cross between intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, the presidency of the United States and both national and international political leaders, opening a new front of dispute over the veracity, utility and legitimacy of the aerial offensive. Foreground of a June 20 image where additional vehicles and coatings are appreciated Narrative in front of evaluation. According to the daymultiple bombardment with B-2 and missile He failed to destroy Iranian nuclear infrastructure definitively. This conclusion reinforces the Previous statement of American intelligence agencies, which argued that Iran were not at that time building a nuclear bomb. However, Trump has rejected both valuations and the new leaks, qualifying them of “fake news” disseminated by the media and reaffirming that the whites were “completely destroyed.” The President published in Truth Social that the operation was “one of the most successful in military history” and that any dissonant voice was nothing more than a maneuver to “undermine” its leadership. Rows closure. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, back The presidential position. Alleged that fourteen 13,000 kg pumps Employees impacted with surgical precision on all objectives and that the effects were “buried under mountains of debris.” He also described as malicious The leaks of the Dia Report and defended that the attack “annihilated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.” In line, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, He dismissed validity From the filtered report, he attacked his alleged author as “a low -level loser within the intelligence community” and emphasized that the bombing results were “a total obliteration.” Despite these statements, the government postponed without explanation Detailed the informative session classified in Congress that had to analyze the results of the attack, which further ignited criticism. International reactions. From Tehran, Iranian President Masoud fishshkian minimized the impact Of the bombings, ensuring that “the aggressor enemy failed in his goal of destroying facilities, reducing nuclear knowledge or causing social instability.” Also He affirmed thatdespite the human losses suffered during the twelve days of war with Israel, the damage caused to the counterpart was “beyond the imaginable.” This statement challenges frontally Trump’s statements and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who backed the US version without reservations. Netanyahu said that joint bombing campaigns had taken the Iranian nuclear program “to ruin” and warned that they would replicate the offensive if Tehran tries to rebuild it. Perception vs real scope. The Financial Times counted That, in strategic terms, the operation does not seem to have reached the structural deterrent effect proclaimed by the Trump administration. The intelligence report suggests that damaged infrastructure may be repaired or replacedand that the offensive has only produced a limited tactical interruption over time. In addition, the American political reaction reflects deep divisions among those who see in the attack a act of firmness in front of Tehran and those who fear that more than one propaganda maneuver has been treated than of military action with lasting effects. Plus: The fact that Iran’s scientific and technical complexes have not been permanently neutralized by doubt the Effectiveness of bombing As a deterrent mechanism and leaves the door open to a new phase of the nuclear conflict. Limited impact. So things, so much Satellite images like him Intelligence report They suppose a jug of cold water for the rhetoric of the operation, conceived as a demonstration of strength and resolution, but that over the days has become a marked episode by internal tensionsstrategic and narrative doubts. While the bombing evidenced the American capacity To hit deeply protected facilities, it doesn’t seem like there eradicated the threat Potential represented by the Iranian nuclear program. The controversy generated not only weakens the communicative position of the Trump administration, but also reveals the growing distance between political rhetoric and Technical valuations In international security issues. If you want also, the story of the Hammer operation It is a faithful reflection of a conflict that, far from having resolved, could now enter an even more complex and volatile phase. Image | Maxar In Xataka | No one has seen Israel’s atomic arsenal. And that is because Israel has an infallible trick: it appears that it does not exist In Xataka | Ukraine was … Read more

The hunt that still resists in Iran more than 40 years after his arrival. It is not Russian or Iranian. It is the American F-14

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While the missiles cross the air between Israel and Iran, the Israeli Air Force has confirmed A new attack on facilities close to Tehran. According to its version, among the objectives there were at least a couple of fighters F-14 Tomcat. In one of the available videos, the impact on what would be one of the few units that are still in service, almost half a century after having been manufactured. That an American hunt retired in 2006 Keep flying today in one of Washington’s great adversaries is no accident. The explanation is in the convoluted – sometimes contradictory – that history can be. An order, a revolution and a war The History of F-14 in Iran begins in the 70s. The SHA, still strategic ally of the United States, decided to incorporate Dozens of Tomcat fighters to its Air Force, in a military package valued at approximately 2,000 million dollars. To do this, he sent his pilots to train in California. But everything changed in 1979, with the Islamic revolution. The relationship between Iran and the United States deteriorated quickly. Ayatolá Ruhollah Jomeiní ordered the arrest of many of those pilots and left the F-14 on land. But the situation took a new turn in 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran. The authorities decided to free the aviators, and began a career to counterreloj for reactivating a fleet for which there were no longer spare parts. An Iranian pilot next to an F-14 Now, keeping an F-14 in flight is not an easy task. Every flight hour required many more maintenanceand many of its components were impossible to manufacture locally. No access to Western technology, Iran resorted to smugglers, to the black market … And also, in a maneuver as surprising as documented, to the United States. During the 80s, within the framework of the scandal Iran-contextsthe Ronald Reagan administration He secretly authorized The sale of weapons to Tehran in exchange for the release of hostages. Iranian Tomcats equipped with multiple missiles in full flight Today, almost half a century after that SHA request, the F-14 Tomcat It continues to appear In Iran. There are no official figures on how many are or how many are really operational. Some have seen in parades. Others, in blurred videos. And now, according to Israel, at least two would have been destroyed in a recent attack near Tehran. Israeli Air Force announced the impact on Iranian F-14 with this publication That an F-14 is still present in 2025 is not just a technical rarity. It is a string of how convoluted the story can be. A hunt designed for US carriers, designed to face the Soviet Union and retired almost twenty years ago, still appears – in one way or another – in one of the most serious military tensions of the moment. Tomcat was a technological feat. But he is also an unlikely survivor: he went from ally to enemy, he sustained thanks to improvised engineers, to clandestine networks, and the carelessness of those who tried to leave him on the ground forever. Images | Nasim News Agency | Iriaf | Shahram Sharifi | IIAF 2 US Navy (via Wikimedia Commons) In Xataka | If the question is how much the iron dome of Israel can endure, the answer is simple: much more than Iran’s defenses

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