As the situation in the Middle East intensifies, the U.S. military has not only stepped up its air strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, but also issued an unprecedented threat to Iran, the back-the-back financier of the "Arc of Resistance".
U.S. Admiral Stavridis has said that if Iran continues to "destabilize the Middle East," then the U.S. should strike at Iran itself. However, Iran is not afraid of the US threat, and it is by no means alone.
600,000 troops ready for battle.
Iran's Fars news agency (FARS) has reported that Yemen's Houthi spokesman Yahya Saryea has issued a statement saying that from January 12, 600,000 people across Yemen will receive "flood" military training from the Houthis, and they will learn how to use RPGs and other lethal **.
According to the Houthi plan, the first to join the "paramilitary" is at least 1650,000 people. Founded in 2004, the Houthis are one of the most influential in the Middle East, with more than 100,000 members and active in northern Yemen.
At military parades held in recent years, the Houthis have demonstrated to the outside world that their cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and long-range drones are not to be underestimated.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Houthis have stood on the side of the Palestinians and resolutely opposed Israel's military campaign to blockade the Gaza Strip. In an effort to put pressure on Israel, the Houthis have banned the passage of Western merchant ships through the Red Sea lanes in recent months, making it a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh of the United States.
With the two sides not backing down, there have been several exchanges of fire between the Houthis and the U.S. military.
For the United States, the presence of the Houthis is extremely fearful.
On the one hand, the Houthis have established their sphere of influence in the Middle East and have been warmly welcomed by the local population, which means that the elimination of the Houthis is an almost impossible task.
On the other hand, the Houthis have also received ** and financial assistance from Iran, and as long as Iran does not fall, the Houthis will be able to continue their guerrilla warfare in the mountains of northern Yemen.
Iran is not alone.
In fact, it is precisely because the Houthis in Yemen control the Red Sea shipping lanes that the United States has nothing to do with Iran, although it looks at Iran very unpleasantly.
If the U.S. military rashly attacks Iranian mainland, the Bahrain naval base in the Persian Gulf could be hit by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones; Add to this the Houthis on the west flank, and the U.S. military may find itself in a dilemma of being caught between two sides.
And not long ago, the Houthis proved in actual combat that the scientific and technological superiority of the US military is not as strong as imagined.
For example, the "Aegis" system, which is known as the "world's strongest air defense system," was actually penetrated by Houthi anti-ship missiles to a distance of less than 1,500 meters, so that it had to rely on the "Phalanx" short-range defense system to make an emergency response.
If the Houthis have missiles with better performance, it is not impossible to penetrate the "Aegis".
What's more, the Houthis are just one of the factions of the Arc of Resistance militants.
In the Middle East, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps supports a large number of armed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen, the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Allah in Lebanon, and Shiite militias in Iraq.
The US magazine "The National Interest" once published a set of data, pointing out that the total strength of these Iranian armed forces may be more than 500,000.
Some people compare the current Iran with Iraq in the past, and think that Iran will not be able to hold out for a month in front of the US military, but this understanding is actually wrong.
To some extent, it is precisely because of Saddam's experience that Iran has learned the lesson of isolation.
Today, Iran has cultivated a number of large civilian forces across the Middle East that will serve as the first line of defense in Iran's defense circle.
China needs to plan ahead in the Middle East.
We often say that this is the "greatest change in a century", and the real meaning of this phrase is that the United States is in decline and will leave a huge power vacuum around the world, especially in the Middle East.
Since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the US "Middle East strategy" has long been declared bankrupt, and now it is only the Democrats led by Biden who are not willing to admit defeat, but their stubbornness has greatly accelerated the process of US decline.
At a time when the international landscape is changing, it is also necessary for China to abandon the previous strategy of "taoguang and keep obscurity" and take the initiative to look for opportunities to "enter the game by itself".
Previously, Iran had conducted a series of ballistic missiles with China and developed its own series of ballistic missiles through Chinese missiles, which greatly improved Iran's defense capabilities.
Iran is the world's third-largest oil reserve, after Saudi Arabia and Russia, and exports millions of barrels of oil per day. China is the world's largest industrial country, and the demand for oil, natural gas and other energy is huge, so the cooperation between the two sides is undoubtedly a win-win situation. When the construction of the China-Iran oil pipeline is completed in the future, China's energy security will be guaranteed.
What is certain is that the more the United States threatens to suppress Iran, the more Iran will never bow to the United States, and the armed forces of the "Arc of Resistance" will unite more closely around Iran.
Therefore, China needs to establish a mutually respectful and win-win partnership with Iran, so as to unite broader forces to resist US hegemony and promote the arrival of a new international order.
Finally, we need to recognize that stability in the Middle East is essential to global security and stability. In line with the principle of maintaining regional peace and security, all countries should resolve differences and contradictions through dialogue and cooperation, and jointly promote regional development and prosperity.
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