Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
China’s ambitions in the Middle East are colliding with a new regional reality: Iran has been weakened, Gulf states are recalculating, and Washington is using the moment to reassert leverage across multiple theaters.
In this month’s Forum Roundtable, Lauri Regan is joined by Zineb Riboua of the Hudson Institute and Brigadier General (Res.) Assaf Orion of the Washington Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies to examine how the Iran war has affected China’s global ambitions, its relationship with Tehran, and its broader competition with the United States.
The panel breaks down China’s long-standing use of Iran as a strategic asset, from discounted oil and sanctions evasion to proxy warfare and regional diplomacy. They also assess why Beijing’s ability to play both sides in the Gulf may be reaching new limits as Iran targets regional infrastructure and Gulf states continue to look to Washington, not China, for security.
The discussion also turns to Israel-China relations, the future of the Belt and Road Initiative, U.S.-China competition in Latin America and the Indo-Pacific, and the stakes surrounding President Trump’s expected meeting with Xi Jinping. Together, the panelists explore whether the war has strengthened American deterrence, disrupted China’s strategic assumptions, and opened a new phase in the contest over Taiwan, energy, trade, and regional power.
Featuring: Lauri Regan; Zineb Riboua; Assaf Orion.
China’s ambitions in the Middle East are colliding with a new regional reality: Iran has been weakened, Gulf states are recalculating, and Washington is using the moment to reassert leverage across multiple theaters.
In this month’s Forum Roundtable, Lauri Regan is joined by Zineb Riboua of the Hudson Institute and Brigadier General (Res.) Assaf Orion of the Washington Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies to examine how the Iran war has affected China’s global ambitions, its relationship with Tehran, and its broader competition with the United States.
The panel breaks down China’s long-standing use of Iran as a strategic asset, from discounted oil and sanctions evasion to proxy warfare and regional diplomacy. They also assess why Beijing’s ability to play both sides in the Gulf may be reaching new limits as Iran targets regional infrastructure and Gulf states continue to look to Washington, not China, for security.
The discussion also turns to Israel-China relations, the future of the Belt and Road Initiative, U.S.-China competition in Latin America and the Indo-Pacific, and the stakes surrounding President Trump’s expected meeting with Xi Jinping. Together, the panelists explore whether the war has strengthened American deterrence, disrupted China’s strategic assumptions, and opened a new phase in the contest over Taiwan, energy, trade, and regional power.
Featuring: Lauri Regan; Zineb Riboua; Assaf Orion.
