China and Russia positioning themselves as voices of reason, calling for de-escalation of a conflict the United States is contemplating on entering — these are the optics Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sought to project during a phone call on Thursday.

Iran conflict has turned into a competition between the two global blocs as US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have put their weight behind Israel and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have rallied around Iran.