China & Russia Assisting Iran to Go Nuclear Before Trump's Ultimatum Ends
Iran's bold rejection of Trump's threats may not be based on internal strength but on external guarantees
by Majid Rafizadeh • March 29, 2025 at 5:00 am (excerpt)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wag Yi, stands with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi, before a meeting regarding the Iranian nuclear issue at Diaoyutai State Guest House on March 14, 2025 in Beijing, China. img credit: Reuters
Now, with Trump's ultimatum delivered on March 7 to Iran— giving the regime a 2-month deadline either to give up its nuclear and missile programs or face severe consequences — Beijing and Moscow have simply been accelerating Tehran's efforts to join the nuclear club and to possesses at least 6 nuclear bombs before Trump's deadline expires.
A meeting between Iranian and Chinese officials in Beijing, followed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's outright rejection of Trump's warnings, could signal a dangerous development: Iran has likely received guarantees from China and Russia that they will protect the regime, support its nuclear program, and ensure that it acquires nuclear weapons before the possibly-too-generous deadline Trump has set, no matter the consequences.
Iran's bold rejection of Trump's threats may not be based on internal strength but on external guarantees. Beijing and Moscow have likely calculated that if the Iranian regime joins the nuclear club and possesses nuclear bombs before Trump's deadline expires. He takes direct action, then the West will be forced to accept a nuclear-armed Iran, just as it has had to accept a nuclear North Korea.
With Trump's ultimatum in place, these adversaries are racing against the clock to ensure that Iran becomes a nuclear-armed state. If the US and its allies fail to act immediately, the balance of power could shift permanently, and the West could lose the war before realizing it had even begun.
Talk surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions has long focused on the ruling ayatollahs and their determined pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The West's primary focus has been mainly on Iran's domestic leadership: the Supreme Leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Iran's nuclear scientists.
What remains overlooked is the significant role that China, North Korea, and Russia have been playing to make sure that Iran achieves nuclear weapons breakout before US President Donald J. Trump's "2-month ultimatum" runs out.
