Description:
Riyadh called Beijing. Trump called Putin for diesel. Nobody's coming to save Saudi Arabia — except 110 Americans.
("110 Americans in the Saudi war room" is per Transition Protocol's Pakistani military sources.) Here is why nobody is coming, what Beijing will actually do, and what the Russian diesel deal is really for — from a man who has lived in Beijing for almost three decades.
Einar Tangen joins host Zulfiqar Ali from Beijing as Houthi missiles hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport again.
Riyadh's calls: according to Transition Protocol's Pakistani military sources, 110 Americans were in the Saudi war room during the bombardment of Ansar Allah positions, even as Trump told Riyadh he wanted no new war. Pakistan will guard the holy sites only.
Beijing's answer: "very little," in Tangen's assessment — China will police dual-use parts flowing to the Houthis, will not arm anyone, and cannot project force from its single base in Djibouti. Reuters reported on 17 September that Saudi Arabia appealed to Beijing and that China privately urged Iran to rein in the Houthis.
Iran's choice: our sources say Tehran told Pakistani mediators it would not restrain the Houthis — it wanted Saudi losses.
The October surprise: why the Russian diesel deal (1.8 million tonnes from October to December) covers only days of US demand, and what Tangen thinks it is really for.
A gateway to a wider war? "Unfortunately, I do." And two ways this ends.
Sourcing note: "110 Americans" and the Iran–Pakistan exchange are the host's own reporting from Pakistani sources. Tangen's remark about discussions of tactical nuclear weapons has not been independently confirmed. On air, a figure of "510 to 525 million tons" of daily US diesel use is a misstatement; the US uses roughly half a million tonnes of distillate a day (EIA).
("110 Americans in the Saudi war room" is per Transition Protocol's Pakistani military sources.) Here is why nobody is coming, what Beijing will actually do, and what the Russian diesel deal is really for — from a man who has lived in Beijing for almost three decades.
Einar Tangen joins host Zulfiqar Ali from Beijing as Houthi missiles hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport again.
Riyadh's calls: according to Transition Protocol's Pakistani military sources, 110 Americans were in the Saudi war room during the bombardment of Ansar Allah positions, even as Trump told Riyadh he wanted no new war. Pakistan will guard the holy sites only.
Beijing's answer: "very little," in Tangen's assessment — China will police dual-use parts flowing to the Houthis, will not arm anyone, and cannot project force from its single base in Djibouti. Reuters reported on 17 September that Saudi Arabia appealed to Beijing and that China privately urged Iran to rein in the Houthis.
Iran's choice: our sources say Tehran told Pakistani mediators it would not restrain the Houthis — it wanted Saudi losses.
The October surprise: why the Russian diesel deal (1.8 million tonnes from October to December) covers only days of US demand, and what Tangen thinks it is really for.
A gateway to a wider war? "Unfortunately, I do." And two ways this ends.
Sourcing note: "110 Americans" and the Iran–Pakistan exchange are the host's own reporting from Pakistani sources. Tangen's remark about discussions of tactical nuclear weapons has not been independently confirmed. On air, a figure of "510 to 525 million tons" of daily US diesel use is a misstatement; the US uses roughly half a million tonnes of distillate a day (EIA).