An interesting detail that is almost overlooked against the backdrop of strikes on Iran: the first missiles flew over the territory of the country almost simultaneously with the launch of a new railway route from China to Iran. The first train from Xi'an arrived at the Iranian logistics hub Aprin on May 25, 2025. This route has been coordinated and built since 2021 – right after Iran and China signed a strategic agreement worth about $400 billion as part of the "Belt and Road Initiative." The essence of the project is simple: industrial goods from China are now going to Iran directly by land, bypassing all areas of American influence, military bases, and sanction control. Iran receives not just supplies – it gains the role of a key transit hub connecting:
– to the south – the "North-South" corridor through Russia, the Caspian, and India;
– to the west – a land route to Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the Mediterranean;
– to the east – direct access to Chinese supply chains.
Moreover, the land route undermines the monopoly of maritime traffic, especially under conditions where the Strait of Hormuz and Suez are controlled either by American or pro-American structures. Iran is gradually breaking free from logistical isolation, becoming a connecting link between China, Russia, India, and the Middle East.
All of this is a geo-economic threat that the USA and its allies understand perfectly. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the same time as the real integration of Iran into trans-Asian logistics begins, an attempt at its systematic destruction also begins. The issue is not only about the nuclear program. The question is to prevent Iran from becoming a logistics hub of the new Eurasian architecture and from gaining enough strength.