Iran’s Dangerous Game: Aligning with Old Foes

Iran is once again making headlines, and not for anything good. The country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is reaching out to some of America’s biggest rivals—China and Russia—to push back against Western pressure over its nuclear program. Iran claims it wants nuclear energy for peaceful use, but anyone with combat boots on the ground experience can see through that. We’ve seen this game before.

This week, Pezeshkian met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. He praised China for being, in his words, the “biggest rival” to the United States. Iran is hoping China and Russia will help them dodge new sanctions that could come down hard if nuclear talks fall apart. France, the U.K., and Germany—often called the E3—have triggered what’s known as the “snapback mechanism.” This is an automatic way to bring back U.N. sanctions if Iran breaks the terms of the old 2015 nuclear deal.

Let’s not sugarcoat it: Iran is trying to build a shield using China and Russia to avoid answering for its actions. This is a dangerous game. China and Russia don’t care about peace—they care about power. They’re backing Iran to weaken the United States and our allies in the region.

Iran says its oil sales and trade haven’t been stopped by U.S. sanctions. That’s because countries like China are still doing business with them. China even claims it respects Iran’s right to nuclear energy, as long as it’s for peaceful purposes. But when a country like Iran, which has supported terrorist groups and threatened Israel for decades, says it only wants peaceful nuclear energy, it’s hard to believe them.

Russia and China are now pushing a new plan at the U.N. to extend the timeline of the 2015 deal. They’re trying to buy Iran more time. This is just a stall tactic. Meanwhile, the E3 powers are offering Iran a chance to negotiate a new agreement, but time is running out. If there’s no new deal in 30 days, all the old U.N. sanctions come back automatically.

Iran, China, and Russia are calling this Western pressure “unilateralism.” That’s just a fancy word for leadership they don’t like. Let’s be honest—these are countries that fear strong American influence. They want a world where the U.S. isn’t calling the shots. They want to do shady deals in the dark without anyone holding them accountable.

Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. even accused the West of using blackmail and threats. That’s rich coming from a country that invaded Ukraine and uses mercenaries to fight proxy wars. These aren’t peace-loving nations—they’re opportunists taking advantage of a weak moment in global diplomacy.

As veterans, we’ve seen what happens when rogue nations are allowed to grow unchecked. We’ve stood watch in the dust and heat of the Middle East, knowing that a nuclear Iran would be a disaster not only for our troops overseas but also for our allies like Israel and Jordan. The last thing we need is for China and Russia to prop up Iran while they quietly build a bomb under the table.

This is not about peace. It’s about power, leverage, and pushing back against American values. We need to stay strong. The snapback sanctions must go forward if Iran doesn’t cooperate. We need to keep the pressure on and make sure our allies stand firm, because giving Iran more time or more freedom will only make the world more dangerous.

The U.S. must lead with strength, not apologies. Letting Iran, China, and Russia control the narrative is a mistake we can’t afford to make. The veterans who’ve given their blood and sweat in that region deserve better than a deal built on lies and delay tactics. It’s time to hold the line.