The $5.6 Billion China-Iran Oil Lifeline Railway Halted After Its First ...

 

Jun 22, 2025 ✪ Members first on June 21, 2025 #chinaobserver

On May 10, 2025, a freight train carrying electronics, mechanical parts, and food left Xi'an, China. It crossed 5,500 kilometers of desert and highlands, arriving in Tehran, Iran, on May 24. 

1. This marked the official operation of the first train on the China-Iran railway. 
2. Chinese state media celebrated the event, calling it a "lifeline" for oil between China and Iran, challenging the traditional power dynamics dominated by the U.S. Navy. 

On social media platforms like Douyin, influencers were excited, especially after June 19, with many videos suggesting that Israel’s airstrikes on Iran were a response to the railway, as it posed a direct challenge to U.S. sanctions. 

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Trump Says Iran Sites ‘Destroyed’, U-Turns on China Buying Iranian Oil |...

Orban: ‘NATO Has No Business in Ukraine’ — Clashes With Reporters at Summit in The Hague

 

Jun 25, 2025

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made a series of provocative statements during the NATO summit, asserting that “NATO has no business in Ukraine” and that his job is “to keep it as it is.” 

Challenged on Hungary’s defense spending target, Orban dismissed EU regulations as unrealistic and called for a fundamental overhaul of the bloc’s budget structure if member states are to reach the proposed 5% GDP defense benchmark. 

Orban also defended former U.S. President Donald Trump, calling him “a man of common sense” and crediting him with de-escalating the Iran-Israel conflict. 

He rejected the notion that Russia poses the greatest threat to Europe, instead citing economic competitiveness as the continent’s real vulnerability. 

Pressed by reporters about Ukraine’s exclusion from NATO talks and the portrayal of Russia as an adversary, Orban remained firm: 

“Ukraine is not a NATO member, and neither is Russia. My job is to keep it that way.”  

 

#orban #nato #putin #apt

 

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