In another far-reaching and impassioned discussion on Critical Perspectives, Vanessa and I attempted to break brains in by unpacking the complex web of international foreign policy reactions to the ongoing aggression against Iran by the Epstein Empire. Our conversation centered on a recent UN Security Council resolution tabled by Bahrain and co-sponsored by 35 nations, including India—a country whose Prime Minister Modi has been photographed embracing Netanyahu while benefiting from Israeli military technology sharing that even the United States hasn’t received. This resolution, which condemned Iran for allegedly targeting civilian infrastructure in Gulf states, passed with Russia and China abstaining (not using their Veto, as was also done for Gaza), a decision that has sent shockwaves of anger through some anti-imperialist circles and sparked intense debate about where these purported strategic partners truly stand.
The abstention by Russia and China represents a pattern that cannot be dismissed as mere “non-interference. Drawing parallels to their previous abstention on the Trump “peace scam” resolution regarding Gaza, we highlighted how these votes effectively green-lit aggression while allowing both powers to maintain profitable relationships with Israel and the Gulf monarchies. The timing proved particularly damning: just days before the war began, Russian media reported that the National Wealth Fund was hemorrhaging cash due to oil sanctions. Following the abstention, Trump temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil, enabling Moscow to earn approximately $150 million daily—money flowing from oil sales to Iran’s enemies while Iranian infrastructure crumbled under bombardment.
Perhaps most troubling was Russia’s internal power dynamics, which sees huge contrasts between Foreign Minister Lavrov’s relatively balanced statements acknowledging U.S. and Israeli miscalculations, with the overtly transactional approach of Kirill Dmitriev, the Putin envoy who has been negotiating with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Dmitriev, a Goldman Sachs and McKinsey protégé with connections to Epstein associate, Sergei Belyakov, has focused exclusively on oil prices and ceasefire deals while never once mentioning the 180 schoolgirls killed in a single strike or the destruction of Iranian hospitals. Those appearing to act as a fifth column within the Kremlin, also appears to be winning the battle for Putin’s ear, prioritizing economic relief over genuine solidarity with a nation facing existential threat—a threat Russia should understand they have and will continue to endure themselves.
China’s also worthy of equal critical scrutiny, as despite official statements calling for de-escalation, Beijing has maintained what academics openly describe as “political neutrality and economic pragmatism” toward Israel. The Chinese special envoy visited Netanyahu’s ministers in January 2025, and the Israeli ambassador’s commentary praising Jewish-Chinese civilization ties was published in the official Xinhua news agency. Further , Foreign Minster Wang Yi has said:
This is a war that should not have happened—it is a war that does no one any good. Without the UN’s authorization, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in the process of the ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiation, which clearly violates international law. Countries’ sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected. China does not go along with attacks against countries in the Gulf region and condemns nondiscriminatory attacks against civilians or non-military targets. The pressing priority now is to stop military operations at once and prevent the conflict from spreading. The way out of the conflict is to return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible and strive for restoration of peace. The fundamental solution is to jointly return to the right track of abiding by international law and basic norms of international relations.
After two+ years of genocide where Israel and Washington were never held accountable, Iran is painted as a villain for defending itself. On another note, Iran’s quietly transitioned to using China’s Beidou military satellite system—far superior to Russia’s GLONASS in mountainous terrain—suggesting where Tehran places its technological trust. Yet even this relationship remains purely transactional, with China benefiting from discounted Iranian oil while maintaining robust trade partnerships with the UAE and other Gulf states hosting US bases—which is why the withheld veto, not for altruism but rather, the economic interests at play.
Iran’s agency has been insulted by many Western commentators obsessed with giving credit to China and Russia without understanding Tehran, Resistance and its sacrifices. Throughout this geopolitical maneuvering, there’s been false narratives that frame Tehran as a passive pawn in great power games which could not be further from the truth. Iran’s historical experience with Russian betrayal—from the Soviet Union arming Saddam Hussein to Putin withholding S-300 systems at Washington’s request—has instilled a policy of strategic independence while maintaining diplomatic alliances. This explains why Iran refused Russia’s push for a mutual defense clause that would have dragged it into the Ukraine war. “Iran doesn’t want to be dependent on either country,” and even the China relationship remains carefully managed to preserve Iranian sovereignty and decision-making autonomy—again Iran is a thousands-year-old civilization. It is also “not in on it,” whatever this lazy analysis tries to say to depict Iran as an Agenda 2030 zombie, reality says otherwise. They are the only ones fighting the Epstein cabal in front of the entire world and are clearly not onboard with the new digital surveillance—which is mostly Israeli.
Underpinning the entire discussion was some moral clarity on what this war actually represents. We reminded viewers that while pundits debate great power politics, Iranians are dying in their droves, with 42,000 residential structures destroyed and medical infrastructure systematically targeted—the same pattern witnessed in Gaza. There’s also the corrupt billionaire classes flourishing in Russia and China, in contrast to Iran’s interest-free banking system, absence of domestic billionaires, and the ascetic lifestyle of its martyred leadership.
Ultimately, Iran’s fighting pure evil on behalf of the world and has lacked solidarity not from wealthier self-interested powers playing chess with human lives, but has benefitted from resistance forces in Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq who are fighting not for geopolitical advantage but for the very survival of their civilizations and the principle that justice and standing up for people, remain virtues worth dying for.
