Frank Gardner: What is China's role in the Iran war?

BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner explains how the world's second-largest economy fits into the Gulf conflict. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A split image of Xi Jinping waving in front of a red background and Frank Gardner in the BBC newsroom Frank Gardner: What is China's role in the Iran war? As the number one importer of Iranian oil, China has a major problem with any constriction of exports in the Gulf - including the US blockade of Iran's ports, which began on Monday. Beijing has condemned the US blockade, calling it "irresponsible and dangerous". It has also reportedly sought to play peacemaker in the conflict, steering its ally Iran towards talks with the US in Pakistan last weekend. But the blockade creates a serious political, economic, and possibly military risk that both the US and China will want to avoid. The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner explains why China's role in the conflict is too big to be ignored. The BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet arrived in Tehran to what she described as 'life on pause'. CCTV footage shows a high school principal charging towards a former student who was armed in Oklahoma. President Donald Trump said over the weekend that oil and gas prices "could be the same or maybe a little bit higher" in the coming months. BBC foreign correspondent Nick Beake visits Metula, an Israeli town surrounded on three sides by Lebanon. The BBC’s Michelle Fleury explains why oil, inflation and interest rates are key risks as the IMF warns war and soaring energy prices could hit the global economy. 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