--- title: "Russia and China Abandoned Iran. Here's Why" description: "When Iran faced devastating strikes, its so-called allies—Russia, China, and North Korea—stood by. This video explores why the Axis of Upheaval collapsed when Tehran needed it most. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly! Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. 📩 Subscribe now: https://subscribepage.io/WarFrontsWeekly Love content? Check out Simon's other YouTube Channels: Megaprojects:https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@astrographics-ve4yq PoliticalFronts: http://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Sources: Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-putin-israel-iran-trump-4c89855e Reuters, the strategic partnership: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/iran-parliament-approves-strategic-pact-with-russia-2025-05-21/ NYT 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/world/middleeast/iran-israel-hezbollah-houthis-hamas-iraq.html NYT 2: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/world/middleeast/iran-russia-relationship-analysis.html Times of London: https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-iran/article/putins-dilemma-should-he-back-or-ditch-the-iranian-regime-mmpb2sps2 Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/06/russia-iran-israel-defense/683214/ Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/16/a-strategic-partnership-not-a-military-alliance-russias-role-in-the-israel-iran-conflict-a89452 ABC: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-20/iran-allies-china-russia-axis-of-resistance-quiet-israel-attacks/105435730 Kyiv Independent: https://kyivindependent.com/transnistria-again-declares-economic-emergency-over-russian-gas-cut/ https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/cooperation-between-china-iran-north-korea-and-russia-current-and-potential-future-threats-to-america?lang=en https://www.hudson.org/security-alliances/china-iran-relations-rising-axis https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/01/03/iran-china-relations-a-strategic-partnership-for-regional-and-global-stability/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/25/china-iran-middle-east-conflict/ https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/06/china-iran-ties-rollercoaster-tehran-can-only-grit-its-teeth-hang https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/19/iran-china-israel-attack-oil-trade-economic-leverage/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-24/what-trump-s-israel-iran-ceasefire-means-for-china-s-relationship-with-iran https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/17/china-iran-israel-conflict-diplomacy-oil-trade-defense-weapons/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/24/iran-israel-us-china/ https://www.newsweek.com/china-issues-warning-over-us-bombing-iran-2089196 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/23/us-war-israel-tehran-china-beijing-blockade-closure-the-strait-of-hormuz.html https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-us-attack-iran-has-damaged-its-credibility-2025-06-22/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/23/iran-china-gulf-states-strait-hormuz/ https://www.dw.com/en/how-china-stands-to-gain-from-us-strikes-on-iran/a-73020874 https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2025-june-19/ http://nytimes.com/2025/06/20/world/asia/us-iran-israel-china.html https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250619-outbreak-of-israel-iran-war-leaves-china-s-mideast-diplomacy-at-an-impasse https://www.dw.com/en/after-us-bombs-iran-north-korea-watches-closely/a-73022740 https://www.reuters.com/world/china/north-korea-condemns-us-strike-iran-violation-sovereign-rights-kcna-reports-2025-06-23/ https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/trouble-together-how-north-korea-sees-its-growing-interests-iran" url: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-lqhzxcxzb14.md canonical: https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-lqhzxcxzb14/ datePublished: 2025-06-25T17:00:58.000Z dateModified: 2025-06-25T17:00:58.000Z author: - name: Fronts Staff url: https://fronts.co/authors/fronts-team/ publisher: Fronts type: NewsArticle language: en access: members isAccessibleForFree: false tokens: 1030 --- When Iran faced devastating strikes, its so-called allies—Russia, China, and North Korea—stood by. This video explores why the Axis of Upheaval collapsed when Tehran needed it most. Stay ahead of global conflicts with WarFronts Weekly! Get sharp, no-nonsense military analysis straight to your inbox. 📩 Subscribe now: https://subscribepage.io/WarFrontsWeekly Love content? Check out Simon's other YouTube Channels: Megaprojects:https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@astrographics-ve4yq PoliticalFronts: http://www.youtube.com/@homefronts Sources: Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-putin-israel-iran-trump-4c89855e Reuters, the strategic partnership: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/iran-parliament-approves-strategic-pact-with-russia-2025-05-21/ NYT 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/world/middleeast/iran-israel-hezbollah-houthis-hamas-iraq.html NYT 2: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/world/middleeast/iran-russia-relationship-analysis.html Times of London: https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-iran/article/putins-dilemma-should-he-back-or-ditch-the-iranian-regime-mmpb2sps2 Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/06/russia-iran-israel-defense/683214/ Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/16/a-strategic-partnership-not-a-military-alliance-russias-role-in-the-israel-iran-conflict-a89452 ABC: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-20/iran-allies-china-russia-axis-of-resistance-quiet-israel-attacks/105435730 Kyiv Independent: https://kyivindependent.com/transnistria-again-declares-economic-emergency-over-russian-gas-cut/ https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/cooperation-between-china-iran-north-korea-and-russia-current-and-potential-future-threats-to-america?lang=en https://www.hudson.org/security-alliances/china-iran-relations-rising-axis https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/01/03/iran-china-relations-a-strategic-partnership-for-regional-and-global-stability/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/25/china-iran-middle-east-conflict/ https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/06/china-iran-ties-rollercoaster-tehran-can-only-grit-its-teeth-hang https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/19/iran-china-israel-attack-oil-trade-economic-leverage/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-24/what-trump-s-israel-iran-ceasefire-means-for-china-s-relationship-with-iran https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/17/china-iran-israel-conflict-diplomacy-oil-trade-defense-weapons/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/24/iran-israel-us-china/ https://www.newsweek.com/china-issues-warning-over-us-bombing-iran-2089196 https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/23/us-war-israel-tehran-china-beijing-blockade-closure-the-strait-of-hormuz.html https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-us-attack-iran-has-damaged-its-credibility-2025-06-22/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/23/iran-china-gulf-states-strait-hormuz/ https://www.dw.com/en/how-china-stands-to-gain-from-us-strikes-on-iran/a-73020874 https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2025-june-19/ http://nytimes.com/2025/06/20/world/asia/us-iran-israel-china.html https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250619-outbreak-of-israel-iran-war-leaves-china-s-mideast-diplomacy-at-an-impasse https://www.dw.com/en/after-us-bombs-iran-north-korea-watches-closely/a-73022740 https://www.reuters.com/world/china/north-korea-condemns-us-strike-iran-violation-sovereign-rights-kcna-reports-2025-06-23/ https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/trouble-together-how-north-korea-sees-its-growing-interests-iran --- Full analysis is behind the paywall. Read the gated piece at https://fronts.co/videos/warfronts-lqhzxcxzb14/.