As an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iran last week sparks a spiraling conflict between the two enemy states, China has seen an opportunity to cast itself as potential peace broker – and an alternative voice to the United States.

China warned the Iran-Israel conflict may spread wider instability in the Middle East, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaching out to both countries as their days-old conflict shows no end in sight.

Chinese commentators have said that Iran might have fared better against Israeli strikes if had been equipped with Chinese weaponry

Rising tensions in the Middle East will accelerate natural gas negotiations between Russia and China, with a decision likely this year, the head of a think-tank that advises the Russian government on China told Reuters.

Both countries have closed their airspaces, leaving few options for citizens of other countries seeking to leave.

The NPT bars members that don’t have nuclear weapons from acquiring them. But critics call the treaty discriminatory.

Following urgent evacuation advice from China, the United States, and Israel, fears of an impending full-scale conflict between Iran and Israel are growing. Anxiety that the current conflicts could turn into a larger regional confrontation with catastrophic repercussions has increased as a result of the warnings to evacuate Tehran.

The U.S. military is rerouting the USS Nimitz carrier strike group to the Middle East ahead of schedule from the South China Sea to bolster its presence in the region. The Nimitz, which could reach the Middle East as soon as this week,