As argued in a report published by Foreign Policy and authored by Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, the coordinated strikes by the US and Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities are not merely focused on the physical sites or centrifuges, but rather aim at regime change, and this assertion holds validity. Nevertheless, this perspective would be insufficient, perhaps even narrow, if it fails to incorporate the broader geopolitical and economic conflict that lies at the core of the US struggle for global dominance, if not survival. For nations like Israel and the United States, Iran's nuclear program is framed as a matter of national security—they are opposed to Iran's acquisition of anything nuclear, may it be civilian or military in nature; therefore, it follows that they would advocate for the Islamic Republic of Iran to modify its behavior in accordance with their interests, with the understanding that Trump would subsequently lift sanctions and facilitate Iran's reintegration into the global community. In other words, a smoke screen to hide the elephant in the room.

Nonetheless, it is reasonable to presume that astute geopoliticians or economists would seek to contribute to and challenge US motivations for attacking Iran by examining the wider regional context, which encompasses Iran's geography and economy, as well as the opportunities it presents for significant actors such as China or Russia, amongst others. Today, we are featuring a piece from The Eurasian Times, which manages to encapsulate with great dexterity the very essence of what defense and foreign affairs specialist Ritu Sharma described as a "geopolitical coup", after the first freight train from China wheelled into Iran, on May 25, 2025, "flying in the face of American sanctions." 

Since Trump has pledged to reinstate a campaign of "maximum pressure" aimed at isolating Iran from the international economy and reducing its oil exports to zero, it would be naive to believe that POTUS is unaware that ninety per cent of Iran's exports to China are oil-based products such as petrochemicals, petroleum products and gases, or mining-based products, and that this relaunched route, whose first phase was launched on July 21, 2024,  offers a vital continental solution to keep bilateral trade from the tentacles of US hegemony. Through the incorporation of Iran into its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China establishes a foundation for enhanced political and economic relationships, which may result in serious strategic advantages across a region that has historically been dominated by US influence, something the US and, to some degree, Israel is not prepared to let go without a fight. The cargo train arrived at Iran's largest dry port, Aprin, near Tehran, after travelling from Xi'an, China, using a rail link from Iran to China via Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, which is set to cut delivery time from 30-40 days by sea (notwithstanding possible delays with Houthis attacks) to just 15 days by land.