John Damn

I've always liked you, Matt, but as a Korean, in a country where China's influence runs deep, I find this point very disturbing. “Pointless war"? Follow the oil. China buys more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil. That's 1.38 million barrels a day in 2025, per Kpler. Nearly every barrel Tehran sells under sanctions goes to Beijing. Add Venezuela. More than half of its oil exports went to China too. Together, Iran and Venezuela supplied about 15-17% of China's crude imports. Much of it was cheap, sanctioned oil, relabeled "Malaysian" to hide where it came from. Now Greenland. China controls about 60% of the world's rare earth mining and over 90% of the processing. Those minerals go into missiles, fighter jets, EVs and chips. Greenland sits on the Arctic shipping routes Beijing calls the "Polar Silk Road." So what connects Iran, Venezuela and Greenland? They're three pillars of China's cheap energy and supply chain. Cut them and you raise the cost of Beijing's military buildup without firing a shot at China. That is America First. China is the only rival big enough to replace the U.S. Letting it fuel up on discount oil from America's enemies is not "restraint." It's surrender on the installment plan. Gas prices hurt. I get it. But if Beijing runs the world's energy and minerals, groceries won't be the worst thing you can't afford. Think one move ahead.