Perhaps the most consequential development of the week is one happening largely behind closed doors. According to Ta Nea, Iran has turned to China as a diplomatic lifeline — a move that is fundamentally reshaping the negotiations.
“In a chess game where Donald Trump believed he had full control, Tehran appears to have found its own deus ex machina,” the Greek paper wrote. While Washington has been trying to apply maximum economic pressure, the “holes” in that strategy — as the Wall Street Journal reporting suggests — are at sea, where China-linked trade networks continue to provide Iran with economic oxygen.
Iran has reportedly received new proposals from the United States, according to Le Monde, and says it is examining them. But with Beijing now actively involved, Washington may find that its leverage is not as decisive as it assumed. The question is whether China’s entry accelerates a deal or entrenches the standoff.
