Iran is both amused and exasperated: the United States is actually begging China like this

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The whole world is stunned, and Iran is probably both crying and laughing: things have gotten to this point, and the U.S. is actually begging China for help to clean up the mess.

I saw that on March 14, Iran’s Foreign Minister tweeted, lamenting: “It’s proven that the security guarantees touted by the U.S. are full of loopholes. Not only do they fail to deter, but they also cause trouble. Now the U.S. is asking other countries, including China, to help ensure the safety of the Strait of Hormuz…”

You’re asking other countries, even China? What does that have to do with China? I really don’t understand what the U.S. is thinking.

You’re not mistaken, that’s exactly what Iran’s Foreign Minister said.

And I looked again carefully; he tweeted in English, and indeed used the word BEG (which in English means “plead” or “beg”). I say “ask,” but “beg” feels more accurate.

Hmm, looking at history, wars often start with overconfidence but end with helpless pleas for help.

So what did Trump actually say?

That tweet was packed with information.

Around 10 a.m. Eastern Time on the 14th, which is about 10 p.m. Beijing time, Trump posted a long tweet saying:

“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, will join the U.S. in deploying warships to ensure the strait remains open and secure.

We have destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, but even after a crushing defeat, they can still easily send a drone, lay a mine, or launch a short-range missile somewhere in the waterway.

We hope that China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and other countries affected by this will send ships to the region, so the Strait of Hormuz is no longer threatened by a country that has been completely decapitated…”

Really full of contradictions!

1. Trump claims he has destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability, yet he also admits Iran still controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Contradiction?

2. He claims many countries will join the U.S. in escorting ships through the Strait, but doesn’t specify which countries.

Reliable?

3. The biggest point: Trump made a request, listing several countries, with China leading, asking them to send warships to escort…

Never forgetting China?

Other Western countries are fine, but mentioning China first is no surprise, which is why Iran’s Foreign Minister mocked the U.S. for starting to beg other countries—and even dragging China into it…

According to him, the Strait of Hormuz is actually open; Iran isn’t blocking it at all. It’s just that U.S. and Israeli ships passing through are very dangerous, but China and other countries can navigate without issue.

I saw that CNN went even further, quoting Iranian officials saying Iran is considering allowing oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, provided the oil is traded in RMB.

I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a clear report from U.S. media.

When hegemony starts counting economic costs, and opponents start talking politics, the game rules have quietly changed.

In fact, the reason Trump named several countries—France, the UK, Japan, South Korea—is that these countries probably don’t want to get involved in the mess. So, Trump had no choice but to call them out directly.

Want the Strait of Hormuz to be safe? Then let’s all do it together.

But why is the Strait of Hormuz unsafe? He didn’t say.

I saw on overseas social media someone mocking: this reminds me of a kid provoking a fight, then getting beaten, and running to ask siblings for help. That’s not only admitting weakness but also raising doubts about their actions.

Someone else lamented: Trump and Netanyahu have created a dilemma—they’ve been beaten by a country that’s been under sanctions for years and has almost perfectly conducted asymmetric warfare.

Oh, and someone tallied: 38 minutes ago, Trump claimed “destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability”; 26 minutes ago, Iran launched a large-scale missile attack on Israel, with five missiles hitting Tel Aviv…

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Even more ridiculous, the U.S. is deliberately spreading false information.

A few days ago at the UN Security Council, the U.S., in its role as chair, accused China and Russia of using Security Council procedures to “protect Iran.”

Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, sharply rebutted on the spot.

He said: “I want to emphasize that it was the U.S. unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal that triggered the Iran nuclear crisis. The U.S. disregarded its own credibility, and twice resorted to military action against Iran during negotiations with Israel, causing diplomatic efforts to fail. As the initiator of the Iran nuclear crisis, the U.S.’s actions violate international law and the principles of the UN Charter. China strongly condemns this.”

Everyone around the world can see who is right and who is wrong.

Therefore, China’s stance is very clear: we urge the U.S. to immediately change course, return to diplomatic negotiations, make a clear commitment to cease military action, engage in sincere dialogue with Iran, and reach a solution that meets the international community’s expectations.

But truthfully, the U.S. insists on winning and demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Iran, being pushed to the brink and distrustful of U.S. and Israeli sincerity, finds negotiations futile no matter how big the table.

As the relatively weaker side, Iran naturally pays a heavy price. Recently, Trump ordered a large-scale attack on Iran’s Hark Island energy base, destroying military facilities there.

Iran threatened that if its energy and economic infrastructure are attacked, it will target “all oil and energy infrastructure owned by U.S. shares or cooperating with the U.S. in the region.”

Iran also accused the U.S. of using the UAE’s military bases for the attack on Hark Island. Iran urged the UAE’s Muslims to immediately evacuate ports, docks, and facilities used by the U.S. military to avoid harm.

Iran, which has been completely militarily crippled by the U.S., is now preparing for retaliation.

Oh, and Trump also angrily denounced a fake news report by The Wall Street Journal, claiming that the U.S. was indeed attacked at a Saudi military base, but the damage was exaggerated. Of the five refueling planes, “four were almost undamaged, and the other was slightly damaged but quickly operational again. None were destroyed as the fake headlines claimed.”

But I checked, and U.S. media never said “destroyed.” Why is Trump in such a rush?

This clarification actually confirms that at least five U.S. refueling planes were damaged, and with one crashing and another slightly damaged earlier, this might be the worst loss of refueling aircraft for the U.S. so far.

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Finally, what do I think?

Just three shallow points.

First, Trump seems a bit flustered.

Don’t talk to me about strategy or tactics. From what I see, the U.S. attacking Iran has neither tactics nor strategy—just slipping on a watermelon peel, sliding wherever it goes.

For example, why attack Iran?

The whole world is surprised.

They used to at least have a reason, like a can of laundry detergent, but now the U.S. doesn’t even bother with that. They keep talking nonsense: at first, it was to punish Iran for suppressing protests; then it became about eliminating Iran’s nuclear program; later, it was about Iran’s missiles and drones; at one point, they even explicitly declared they wanted to overthrow the Iranian regime…

On the first day of the war, the U.S. and Israel confidently bombed and killed Iran’s top leader, Khamenei, nearly wiping out Iran’s top echelon; but after two weeks, Iran didn’t collapse—instead, it launched fierce retaliation against the U.S. and Israel, and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively shut down, with international oil prices soaring.

The U.S. is really in a tough spot now.

So, Trump’s words fluctuate: sometimes claiming the U.S. has won big, destroying 100% of Iran’s military; other times saying Iran is still strong and asking the world to help escort.

It makes no sense!

Second, the current focus is the Strait of Hormuz.

It seems the U.S. goal is now relatively clear: no longer talking about overthrowing Iran’s regime—that’s pushing Iran to the brink; and they’re less talking about missiles and drones, which are impossible to finish.

The U.S. goal has shifted to: reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

If the Strait remains blocked, international oil prices will skyrocket, and the whole world will suffer. In the U.S., oil prices have special political significance—unless Trump really doesn’t want midterm elections.

So Trump is very anxious, even directly begging China, France, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and others to help clean up the mess.

Did they not see this outcome when they started the war?

I really don’t understand what the Americans are thinking.

U.S. media reports say that the military warned about this, but Trump ignored it, insisting: Iran would never dare to blockade the Strait of Hormuz…

Third, you all really should stop fighting.

Stop fighting now—blood and flesh flying, oil prices soaring, and the whole world suffering.

Because of high oil prices, Pakistan has announced a two-week holiday, with children studying online; India’s fertilizer supplies are critically urgent, asking China for help; global stock markets are in a deep downturn.

Of course, high oil prices also hurt China—though from another perspective, it highlights China’s foresight in renewable energy development.

Undoubtedly, this is a wrong war launched by the wrong people at the wrong time against the wrong country. The U.S. will surely regret this war later.

I saw that U.S. Senator Sanders just tweeted, questioning:

Current costs:

• Over 1,200 Iranian civilians dead

• 13 U.S. soldiers killed

• 3.2 million Iranians displaced

• 773 Lebanese dead

• Over 10,000 Iranians injured

• $16.5 billion spent in 12 days

Honestly, these figures are conservative. For example, reports say over 2,000 Iranians have died—what a human tragedy! The U.S. expenditure is more than $16.5 billion; if you include losses in neighboring countries, it’s astronomical!

How will the U.S. end this? How will Iran get through this difficult time? Does it really have to be China to clean up the mess?