Flight from China raises concerns over Iran-Israel conflict

The war between Israel and Iran has dominated headlines for most of the last two weeks, but a new report raises a new series of concerns.  

A mysterious flight was reported heading to Iran from China, raising real questions as to whether China is now reloading Iran with supplies to fight the war.  

Up in the Air 

The main nuclear facility of Iran is buried deep below the ground, and the United States is believed to be the only country with the weapon to take it out.  

Not only that, but we also allegedly have the only planes that can deliver the weapon, commonly known as a bunker buster.  

When Trump was asked about it, he put the rumors off, stating, “We're the only ones that have the capability to do it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it at all.” 

Trump is already frustrated, but his hand is very close to being forced.  

Two Weeks 

On Thursday, the pressure continued from the media about a possible US strike against Iran directly, and Trump tried to buy himself some time.  

Trump stated that he will make a final decision “within two weeks.” 

I truly believe that Trump offered up that two-week window to give Iran the opportunity to come to the table.  

According to Trump, he previously gave them 60 days, and on day 61, Israel launched an attack. If we are to believe Trump, and if Iran believes Trump, then in two weeks, if they have not come to a solution, will the attack take place?  

What is That 

If speculation about a recent report is right, Trump may not have two weeks. Reports surfaced Thursday afternoon about a flight that reportedly originated in China had landed in Iran. As the day progressed, it was revealed that several flights had actually taken place.  

Robert Greenway, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, stated, "I think it's important to remember what the relationship is, forty-three percent of China's oil and gas comes from the Middle East, a large volume of that from Iran.” 

He concluded, “I think it's unlikely to see Chinese arms shipments under the circumstances to Iran. It's more likely that Iran may be removing material or personnel or regime valuables to safe haven in light of the conflict. I think that's probably the extent to which China is willing to accept the risk associated with the current circumstances." 

I am leaning into that explanation, simply because I don’t think China wants to risk upsetting the United States on this. We are seeing a lot of Iranian allies sit on the sidelines here because, quite frankly, they don’t want to go to war with the United States over Iran. It's apples and oranges when you consider the importance of Israel to the United States and the importance of Iran to countries like Russia and China.