Donald Trump was lured into helping Benjamin Netanyahu fight his long-coveted war, and now he cannot escape responsibility for the prevailing chaos. Currently, Russia and China seem to be on edge.
Netanyahu’s fight seems to be going according to his plan, but not so for Donald Trump. It basically appears as if the US President had no plan and rode on the Israeli Prime Minister’s war design. And now his engagement in the war has backfired.
Americans find it difficult to justify this war from any angle, and the MAGA fraternity feels obligated to support Trump for a decent exit. Yet that escape route has so far been elusive.
China and Russia Could Lose their Patience
Since China closed off a good part of its skies to international flights last month, speculation has arisen about why. One version is that President Xi Jinping could be preparing his forces for any eventuality.
Such an eventuality might include a defensive or offensive attack, depending on how events unfold in the current arena of confusion, starring Donald Trump arguably as the villain.
China has long been fine dealing with Iran, yet its oil tanker, Rich Starry, could not complete its journey this week. The tanker, which had successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, 14th, was forced to return the following day because of the US shipping blockade.
Russia is upset, too.
On Monday, April 13th, Russia warned that the US move to block the Strait of Hormuz would have dire economic consequences worldwide. The warning was issued by Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson.
According to experts, completely barring ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz deprives the world market of around 2 million barrels of oil per day.
Peskov underlined that the whole scenario was full of uncertainty, which is affecting international markets. He lamented that nobody seems to know what plan the US has.
He also expressed concern that US actions are likely to provoke an armed conflict and jeopardize any ceasefire with Iran.
Elsewhere, Russia’s spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, condemned the indiscriminate missile attacks the US-Israeli duo has been launching. She also expressed deep concern regarding attacks around Iran’s uranium enrichment sites.
She accused the two countries of ignoring the dire effects of their actions, which include incidents of civilian casualties and the potential radiological risk to the environment.
Russia has also issued warnings to Israel regarding its targeting of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. In this regard, officials in Moscow noted that Russia has experts working at that plant.
This week, one Kremlin official told Israel it was playing a “dangerous game” and that it should stop. This is significant because one cannot predict the steps Russia might take to protect its citizens.
US Using Other Countries as “Human Shields”
When the US-Iran talks held in Islamabad failed last weekend, US President Donald Trump instructed his troops to block oil tankers from navigation.
He said no ship would transport oil through the Strait of Hormuz, even those permitted by Iran. The blockade took effect the following day, Sunday, 12th 2026.
Consequently, China’s tanker was barred from proceeding on its journey home from collecting oil. China’s President Xi Jinping could have reacted negatively immediately, but he did not. However, there is no telling if China remained calm but went to the boardroom to consider its options.
Obviously, by blocking China’s passage through international waters, the US broke international law. And it is the case for every other ship blocked from free navigation in the high seas.
Imposing a blockade in the high seas may be Trump’s way of getting the other countries angry with Iran. They are bound to suffer alongside the US even when it was not Iran’s intention.
Trump probably believes that their anger will make them join forces with him in fighting for the unconditional opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, he seems to forget that there is an international law regulating navigation.
Freedom of navigation through international waters is protected under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). And any country, including Russia, might rely on that law to initiate military confrontation against the US and its allied forces.