With its supreme leader killed and its war machine under relentless U.S. pressure, Iran now stands largely alone - its longtime partners Russia and China offering nothing more than diplomatic condemnations and expressions of concern.

Tehran has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by widening the ‌conflict beyond the Middle East,  firing missiles and drones with an impact that is reverberating through global energy markets, rattling capitals from Washington to Beijing, and paralyzing the shipping that carries 20% of the world's oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian missiles reached as far as Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Gulf states, taking the war to their doorstep by targeting critical businesses, energy infrastructure ‌and U.S. bases. Oil facilities, refineries and key supply routes were hit, causing severe disruption to crude and natural gas ⁠supplies.

With the Strait of Hormuz already shut, the attacks have sent energy prices soaring, destabilizing global markets and forcing ⁠major economies to scramble, underscoring the ⁠world’s exposure to the fallout from Tehran’s response to the war.

Russia and China’s restraint reflects a cold calculation, analysts say: intervening as Iran faces Israel and the ‌United States would bring high costs, limited gains and unpredictable risks - burdens neither power appears willing to shoulder.

“Putin has other priorities, and chief among them is........

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