Why an Iran crisis hits China first

The prospect of a war against Iran is often discussed as a regional contingency tied to the Gulf, Israel, and the architecture of deterrence in the Middle East. In this sense, the possibility of a military escalation against Iran can be read not only as an attempt to reshape the Middle East, but also as a geopolitical instrument that can constrain China by raising the costs of its growth model, destabilizing a critical segment of its import portfolio, and forcing Beijing to invest more resources into risk management instead of development priorities. The Strait of Hormuz is the most symbolically and materially significant among them, and Iran is the only major power whose coastline and military posture can turn Hormuz into a global risk multiplier.

Author: RT

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