WhatsappThe surprise G-7 announcement about Iran’s culpability in July 29 attack on the MT Mercer Street should be seen as part of a larger realignment engineered primarily by Japan as a pushback against Chinese hegemonic ambitions.
Why does Japan care about Iran? And why now?
Out of all the G-7 countries Chinese expansion has been most concerning to Japan. Tokyo may not have the capabilities to take on Communist China by itself, but being part of the G-7 allows it to push on particular pressure points. One of these pressure points is Iran. Iran is China’s most important Middle East ally. Besides being a major oil exporter to China, the Iranian regime gives China reach until Mediterranean without having to cut a deal with Israel or Egypt.
Both Iran and China mutually benefit off of the relationship, with Iran receiving real backing for much of its terror and expansionism.
Japan understands that a new alignment is forming. With Israel teaming up with Taiwan to face off against China, Japan has made the move to help Israel out with its issues. The other G-7 nations might be reticent in taking on Iran right now, but seen in the lens of the larger Chinese Communist expansionism, the announcement against Iran is really about an agreed upon pushback against China.
Israel has been loathe to depart from its neutral foreign policy, but with the world seemingly moving back towards a bipolar globe, save for Russia who remains a bit of a free agent – Jerusalem has now had to make a decision. Long term relationships with positive partners like India, Japan, and Australia and now Taiwan have vastly far more importance than an empire addicted communist regime in Beijing.
With much of the West imploding due to internal cultural upheavals, Japan and its regional allies of Taiwan and Australia see Chinese expansion as a direct threat to their existence. With this in mind, Israel’s relationship with all of them affords the Jewish State with a broader set of possibilities in stopping Iran instead of the antiquated USA-Israel “special friendship.”
Iran may yet get a nuclear weapon, but Israel is not as isolated as it once was. The Ayatollahs must also take into consideration both the Abraham Accords as well as Israel’s Indo-Pacific allies when assuming China will be able to free up resources to help it.
