Xi Says "Global Order Crumbling Into Disarray" As Trump Turns Up Pressure Campaign On China

Xi Says "Global Order Crumbling Into Disarray" As Trump Turns Up Pressure Campaign On China

TYLER DURDEN

President Trump's four-and-a-half-month crusade across the Western Hemisphere, and now into the Middle East, increasingly looks like a massive blitz to acquire - or control - energy assets and maritime chokepoints as part of a broader economic pressure campaign against China, which depends heavily on the Gulf and Venezuelan crude. 

"Chokepoint after chokepoint: the administration is methodically building a portfolio of assets that they are stacking against China: the Panama Canal, which is the only exit route for oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico to China; Venezuela and her oil that used to go to China; Kharg Island and Iran's oil which used to go to China, and SoH through which Iran's and all Arab countries' oil used to go everywhere but mostly to China," Zoltan Pozsar of advisory firm Ex Uno Plures wrote in a March note.

Pozsar's view is important because, when placed alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping's comments earlier today that the world is slipping into "disarray," the larger picture comes into sharp focus.

"The international order is crumbling into disarray," Xi told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing. He used a Chinese expression indicating not only chaos but also moral decay. 

What Xi calls disorder increasingly looks like the unwinding of the global order that allowed China to roam freely across markets, resources, and trade corridors for years. In the Trump era, that ability appears to have been systematically dismantled - to some degree - in just four months.

Xi's comments are his first public statements on the US-Iran conflict, as new economic data overnight show the conflict took a sharp toll on Chinese exports in March.

China has criticized Trump's military action against Iran and called the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz "dangerous and irresponsible," while warning it could respond if Washington links the conflict to a new round of tariffs on Chinese exports.

For more context, about half of China's crude imports came from the Gulf/Middle East before the war disruption. Reuters reported the region accounted for 52% of China's oil imports. That share recently fell to 31% as Hormuz-related disruptions forced China to replace crude supplies with imports from Brazil and Russia.

Pozsar noted: "Again, the game is not to control Venezuela and Iran to choke China…"

And you might ask why Trump is squeezing China. Well, as Pozsar pointed out, "The aim is not to deny energy to China. The aim is to level the playing field between the two countries. 

Trump has previously said his meeting with Xi in Beijing was pushed to May because of the conflict. The question now is whether Washington and Beijing can still strike a deal.

Chinese Tanker U-Turns, Iran Mulls Hormuz Shipping Pause To Preserve Talks, Avoid Trump Blockade Showdown

Chinese Tanker U-Turns, Iran Mulls Hormuz Shipping Pause To Preserve Talks, Avoid Trump Blockade Showdown

TYLER DURDEN

Summary

• Diplomacy is not yet dead, as Bloomberg reports Iran is mulling a short-term pause to shipments through Hormuz Strait, in order to avoid a fresh clash with US forces & avoid testing Trump's blockade.

• Mediators are scrambling to put together another round of US-Iran talks in the coming days: Iran is reportedly offering a 5-year moratorium on nuclear program, while US demands 20.

• Saudis are among those calling for an end to the US blockade of the Hormuz Strait, amid fears the Houthis could shut down Bab al-Mandeb strait. Chinese ship testing America's Hormuz blockade appears to U-turn.

• Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejects upcoming talks between the Lebanese government and Israel, which are set for 11am in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

  
  

  
  

  Iran Could Pause Hormuz Shipping, As Chinese Tanker U-Turns

  Bloomberg says Tuesday in a fresh report that "Iran is considering a short-term pause to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to avoid testing a US blockade and scuppering a fresh round of peace talks, according to a person familiar with the Tehran’s deliberations."

  "The potential pause reflects a desire to avoid immediate escalation at a sensitive diplomatic juncture as Washington and Tehran sort logistics for another face-to-face meeting, the person said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private," continues Bloomberg. It adds, "Holding back maritime activity for several days is seen as one possible, pragmatic step to prevent an incident that could undermine the fragile efforts to revive discussions, people familiar with the matter said."

  This would be seen as short-term de-escalation, and suggests that Tehran indeed still has the desire of taking a hopeful, pragmatic approach - rather than returning the all out war by the close of the temporary ceasefire. No one is willing to completely shut the door on all diplomacy, and the bombs have been silent across the Gulf and in Iran and Israel. Per latest emerging reports:

  The Nasdaq 100 looked set to notch its longest streak of gains since 2021 as optimism that the US and Iran are considering another round of peace talks pushed oil lower and lifted stocks globally.

  Chinese ship testing America's Hormuz blockade appears to U-turn...

  5-Years vs. 20-Year Nuclear Moratorium

  More info and color has been added in the wake of failed talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan, per The New York Times citing officials from both countries. Iran signaled Monday it would halt uranium enrichment for up to five years. The Trump administration rejected the offer, according to two senior Iranian officials and one US official who spoke to the Times.

  The US position, shaped in part by Vice President JD Vance, calls for a roughly 20-year suspension. Vance has argued such a timeframe is necessary to permanently limit Iran's nuclear capabilities. "The Iranians, in a formal response sent on Monday, said they would agree to up to five years, according to two senior Iranian officials and one U.S. official. Trump has rejected that offer, the U.S. official said," writes NY Times.

  "The official said the U.S. has also asked Iran to remove highly enriched uranium from the country, and the Iranians have insisted the fuel stays inside Iran. But they have offered to dilute it significantly, so that it could not be used to produce a nuclear weapon," the report adds.

  Sides Could Return to Islamabad for Talks

  This behind the scenes back-and-forth suggests that the mediated talks might not be entirely over, also as the clock ticks away on the initial 2-week ceasefire, now a week in. US and Iranian negotiating teams plan to return to Pakistan later this week to resume talks aimed at ending the Gulf war, Pakistani and Iranian officials said Tuesday, as cited in Reuters. Other reports say the talks could be hosted in another venue.

  However, US officials have not confirmed the plans, and the reality is that in Islamabad the two sides demands were very far apart, having reportedly finally collapsed on the nuclear issue.

  Israel-Lebanon talks are taking a separate track, set to begin in Washington Tuesday, but Hezbollah has rejected this process - with only the Lebanese government represented.

  France's President Emmanuel Macron is among those calling on Washington and Tehran to urgently resume negotiations to end the war, and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz "without controls or tolls, as soon as possible." Iran is reportedly charging steep tolls to let a handful of 'friendly' countries' vessels through - a situation which President Trump has warned against.

  "If Iran does want to shut down Bab al-Mandeb, the Houthis are the obvious partner to do it, and their response to the Gaza conflict demonstrates that they have the capacity to do it," Adam Baron, an expert on Yemen at the New America policy institute, told the Journal.

  
  

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China Seeks to Elevate Strategic Partnership With Russia to New Heights

China Seeks to Elevate Strategic Partnership With Russia to New Heights

Sputnik

China and Russia should elevate their comprehensive strategic cooperation to a superior level across all fields, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Beijing.

"Hegemony and the harm it generates are becoming increasingly evident, with the system of global governance undergoing profound restructuring, the cause of peace and human development continues to face serious challenges," the Chinese top diplomat noted.

"In a complex and volatile external environment," he continued, "under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, Sino-Russian relations are resilient—unfazed by 'clouds obscuring the view'. Cooperation across all fields is being tested but remains robust and increasingly strong," he said. 

Both countries coordinate their positions and support one another on the international stage, exemplifying to the world that "even against the tide, there is a right path, and in times of change, responsibility is especially crucial," Wang Yi stressed.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia, as well as the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation, he pointed out.

"This is also the inaugural year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. Both sides must seize this historic opportunity, meet the demands of the times, comprehensively implement the important agreements reached by the heads of state, and advance the Chinese-Russian strategic partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas to a higher level. We jointly uphold and defend multilateralism and jointly advocate for advancing global internationalization," he emphasized.

Netanyahu: U.S.-Israel Strike on Iran Turned ‘Never Again’ into Reality, Dealt ‘Regime of Terror’ Hardest Blow

Netanyahu: U.S.-Israel Strike on Iran Turned ‘Never Again’ into Reality, Dealt ‘Regime of Terror’ Hardest Blow

Joshua Klein

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that the joint U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran has turned the longstanding pledge of “Never Again” into reality, saying the strikes dealt the regime “the hardest blow in its history” and prevented a second Holocaust.

Speaking at Israel’s state Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Netanyahu framed the ongoing campaign against Iran as the fulfillment of a commitment he has repeated for years, insisting that the Jewish state would never again face annihilation.

“Year after year, I stood here and pledged: we will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said, adding, “As Prime Minister of Israel, I promised — there will not be a second Holocaust. This year, we turned that promise into reality.”

The ceremony, marking the beginning of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, was held under security constraints and broadcast nationally, honoring the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany while underscoring Israel’s present-day security challenges.

Netanyahu centered his remarks on what he described as a historic reversal of Jewish vulnerability, contrasting the helplessness of Jews during the Holocaust with the military strength of the modern State of Israel.

“During the Holocaust, we were an abused people crying out in agony,” he said. “Today, we have a state which is stronger than ever, which roars with power.”

Netanyahu said Israel, in coordination with the United States, had delivered “the hardest blow in that regime’s history,” adding that Iran’s military infrastructure and strategic assets had been significantly reduced.

He said the campaign — known in Israel as Operation Roaring Lion and in the United States as Operation Epic Fury — followed earlier strikes that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and missile production, culminating in what he described as the systematic destruction of its enrichment and weapons capabilities.

“We have succeeded in crushing the nuclear program and crushing the missile program,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, adding that Iran “no longer has a single functioning enrichment facility,” while its missile production capacity has largely “vanished.”

Framing the stakes in stark historical terms within the context of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign, Netanyahu warned that without such action, Iran’s nuclear sites could have become synonymous with the Nazi death camps.

“Had we not acted, the names Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin might have been remembered like Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor,” he said.

He also invoked the recurring historical question of whether earlier intervention could have prevented the Holocaust, dismissing such counterfactuals and emphasizing the need for decisive action in the present.

“There are no ‘what ifs’ in history,” Netanyahu said. “The terrible disaster happened … Six million of our brothers and sisters were murdered.”

“Given all this,” he continued, Israel is acting to ensure that “future generations will not ask what if, with a sense of missed opportunity.”

Netanyahu detailed Israel’s ongoing multi-front campaign against what he described as the “Iranian axis of evil,” citing operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria, as well as targeted strikes against senior militant leaders.

“For two and a half years, we have been systematically crushing the Iranian axis,” he said, arguing that the campaign has reversed decades of Iranian efforts to encircle Israel through proxy forces and advanced weapons programs.

The prime minister also emphasized the unprecedented level of coordination with Washington, describing Israeli and American forces operating “wing to wing” in the skies over the Middle East.

“Who could have imagined 80 years ago that our pilots would defend the Middle East alongside American pilots,” he said, calling the partnership a historic alignment that has reshaped the regional balance of power.

Netanyahu said the impact of the campaign extends beyond Israel’s immediate security, arguing that the country, together with the United States and allied nations, is defending the broader Western world.

“Together, we are defending not only ourselves, but the entire world,” he said.

Turning to Europe, Netanyahu warned that the continent has failed to internalize the lessons of the Holocaust, charging that it is losing control of its identity, its values, and its commitment to defend civilization from barbarism.

“Europe is infested today with a deep moral weakness,” he added, arguing that Israel’s actions underscore the necessity of drawing a sharp distinction between good and evil.

Netanyahu also reflected on a recent meeting with Holocaust survivors ahead of the ceremony, telling them that Israel’s military strength and strategic alliances ensure that the Jewish people will no longer face existential threats without the ability to respond.

“Today, we are the ones hunting the oppressors,” he said. “We have prevented them from realizing their plan of destruction … There will not be another Holocaust.”

He concluded by describing the State of Israel as the culmination of a historic transformation “from Holocaust to rebirth,” saying it will continue to serve as a “beacon of liberty, progress and prosperity.”

US rejects Iranian request for another meeting in Pakistan

US rejects Iranian request for another meeting in Pakistan

Danny Zaken

According to information obtained by Israel Hayom, the US is not willing to set another date for talks with Iran at this stage. At the same time, grim economic data point to a sharp deterioration and an increasing pressure to renew contacts with the Americans. 

Immediately after the breakdown of the Iran-US talks in Pakistan, the Pakistanis began trying to arrange another meeting in Islamabad. While those efforts by the Pakistani mediators were being reported, information obtained by Israel Hayom shows that at this stage the Americans are not prepared to set another date for talks.

The US intends to fully leverage the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington's precondition was the full reopening of the strait, as had previously been agreed, a condition the Iranians did not meet.

According to CNN, senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration are discussing a possible additional meeting with the Iranians, in Geneva or in Islamabad.

Iran's regime, led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has almost no reserves left to continue the fighting, according to assessments by diplomatic and security officials in the US and the Middle East. Those officials say the situation is expected to worsen further if the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and that Iran's political leadership is therefore likely to press the Guard's leadership to renew contacts with the US in order to secure relief.

Differences between senior Guard commanders Ahmad Vahidi and Ali Abdollahi and the civilian political leadership are deep, and growing. Their refusal to allow Foreign Minister Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to discuss the nuclear issue without an immediate return in the form of sanctions relief was what led to the collapse of the talks in Pakistan.

Intelligence reaching the US, Israel and Gulf states involved in the issue shows that Iran's foreign currency reserves have been almost entirely depleted. The formal economy run by Pezeshkian's government is showing exceptionally high unemployment, triple-digit inflation, a currency that continues to slide and the near-total blockage of almost every source of income.

Reports indicate that Iran's Finance Ministry and central bank are sending Pezeshkian daily warnings about the state of the economy and that Iran will struggle to recover even if the war ends now, unless sweeping reforms are introduced and resources are redirected toward the economy.

According to a report by opposition-linked Iran International, officials at the central bank of the Islamic Republic warned the government that if the current situation continues, inflation will reach 180% and another 2 million people will join the ranks of the unemployed. The report said central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati stressed to Pezeshkian that Iran must reach an agreement with the US and lift internet restrictions in order to improve the economic situation.

Hemmati took part in the talks in Islamabad and presented Iran's demand for sanctions to be lifted and frozen assets to be released. He made clear that without immediate income, large parts of Iran's population would face the danger of hunger.

The Americans made clear that they would be prepared to release the frozen funds, provided the money was directed to civilian needs. The economic discussion made no progress because of disagreements over the nuclear issue and over Iran's refusal to reopen Hormuz, as it had undertaken to do as a condition for a ceasefire.

The intelligence also points to the collapse of Iran's second economy, the one run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Guards control numerous companies that dominate Iran's energy sector, including oil exports, as well as mining, aviation, pharmaceuticals, heavy industry and more. Almost all of those sectors, except oil, have nearly ceased operating. The meaning is a reduction in the regime's offensive capabilities.

Another aspect, no less important, is the freezing of bank accounts and financial assets belonging to companies tied to the Guards and to their senior figures, meaning a direct blow to the personal wealth of the Guard's top brass.