An influential geo-political commentator on WeChat, Zhan Hao, offers a provocative interpretation of recent U.S. military actions in the Middle East. The article, titled “Unexpectedly, the biggest loser from the U.S. bombing of Iran is the European Union — it’s going to be drained dry in the future,”argues that the recent U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities was in fact a calculated performance, staged to pressure European NATO allies into dramatically increasing their defense spending.
Zhan suggests that the strike was less about Iran and more about extracting military commitments from the European Union, particularly in the context of former President Donald Trump’s return to the international stage. Trump’s push for NATO members to raise military spending from 2% to 5% of GDP, the article argues, required a dramatic demonstration of U.S. “resolve” in global hotspots like the Middle East.
The piece paints a picture of secret backchannel coordination between the U.S. and Iran, suggesting that both sides may have staged attacks to manipulate international reactions and domestic audiences. In this narrative, Europe becomes the real victim—misled into military commitments that benefit Washington’s long-term strategy of countering China, rather than serving Europe’s own interests.
The article also highlights how the EU’s cancellation of a planned economic dialogue with China is seen as a sign that Brussels is aligning too closely with Washington at its own expense. The piece concludes with a warning: if the EU commits fully to the U.S.-led military posture aimed at containing China, then China may deepen its alliance with Russia in response.
