After the failed negotiations this weekend in Islamabad and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, the conflict appears poised to resume. Yet Washington heads into the next phase with a clearer understanding of the stakes because the past six-plus weeks have offered a stark lesson about the insecurity of global energy and the vulnerability of maritime choke points.
China surpasses U.S. in leadership approval;
Xi calls for "new energy system" as Iran war rolls markets;
Taipei warns of tech poaching and military infiltration;
PLA surges naval presence near Taiwan;
Beijing signals partial rapprochement following KMT visit
A setback for Moscow in Budapest;
Moscow boosts Iranian strikes;
A budget blowout;
The Kremlin targets another rights group
China expands its nuclear weapons infrastructure;
With Beijing's help, U.S. indicts Shandong firms for fentanyl;
"Teapot" refineries buffer China from oil price spikes;
Beijing bans "bone ash apartments";
Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks take place in Xinjiang
The Iran War has temporarily disrupted Caucasus-Central Asia connectivity. The United States must reassure the region that it still wishes to engage with its development.