Russia, China now main beneficiaries of US-Iran conflict — newspaper

WASHINGTON, March 10. /AT+/. Russia and China, not the United States, appear to be the main beneficiaries of the current US-Israeli military operation against Iran, The Washington Post said.

"Oil disruption benefits Russia, as does less US aid for Ukraine. And Iran distracts from China," the piece points out.

The publication believes that the Washington administration launched a military operation against Iran, despite the fact that there was "no imminent threat" to the US. The newspaper added that military operations, given the US national debt, which is approaching $39 trillion, could make it difficult for the United States to "compete with much more significant adversaries, notably Iran’s allies Russia and China."

WP believes that Russia began to reap benefits from the very beginning of hostilities amid rapidly rising oil prices, which exceeded $100 per barrel on March 8. In response, President Donald Trump was forced to announce the easing of sanctions against India for purchasing Russian oil. In addition, the US is rapidly depleting its ammunition supplies, and it will take some time to replenish them. The newspaper also believes that "all the energy and attention the US is pouring into the Middle East is a further distraction from the rising economic and military challenge from China."

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.