Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East

US sailors prepare to stage ordnance on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026. (US Navy)

(Screenshot via Fox Business)

(Screenshot via YouTube)

A view of an Iranian missile after it fell near Qamishli International Airport, near the Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria, on March 4, 2026, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. (Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on during a meeting at The Great Hall of the People on September 2, 2025, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)

(Screenshot via CBS News)

(School of War)

President Donald Trump sits at a table monitoring military operations during Operation Epic Fury against Iran on March 2, 2026. (Getty Images)

(Screenshot via PBS News Hour)

(School of War)

Smoke rises over a targeted site in Tehran as a series of explosions are heard on March 1, 2026. (Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for visiting President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on February 14, 2023. (Getty Images)