China and Russia have long played vital roles in supporting Iran’s economy and providing the regime access to military technology and materiel. Since the onset of the Iran war in February 2026, this assistance has not only persisted but taken on expanded, new dynamics. Beijing and Moscow’s assistance, mostly occurring under the radar, have been essential to the Iranian regime’s survival. And their activities have proven both directly and indirectly impactful on the course of the conflict in the Gulf and beyond.
To discuss the evolving nature of Chinese and Russian support for Iran, their interests vis-à-vis the war, and how the United States and its allies should respond, the Middle East Institute will host an on-the-record webinar on Tuesday, October 13, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET. The expert panel will feature Mr. Isaac Stone Fish, CEO and Founder of Strategy Risks, and Dr. Stephen Blank, Senior Fellow for Russia at the American Foreign Policy Council. MEI Senior Fellow Jason Campbell will moderate.
Speaker Biographies
Isaac Stone Fish is the CEO and Founder of Strategy Risks, a business intelligence firm which quantifies corporate exposure to China, and helps companies and entities manage and reduce their China risk. He is the author of America Second (Knopf, 2022), a book about Beijing’s influence in the United States. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the Atlantic Council, an Adjunct Professor at New York University, and the author of a column on China risk for Barron’s.
Dr. Stephen Blank is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Dr. Blank is also an independent consultant working with various US government and corporate clients and a former professor at the US Army War College. Blank has authored hundreds of foreign policy-related articles, white papers, and monographs — specifically focused on the geopolitics and geostrategy of the former Soviet Union, Russia, and Eurasia.
Dr. Jason H. Campbell (Moderator) is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where he focuses on international security, geopolitics, and foreign policy. Prior to joining MEI, he was a Senior Policy Researcher at RAND, covering an array of defense and national security issues. From June 2016 through September 2018, he served as Country Director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy.
