One of the upsets of the war in Iran has been to drive the members of the CRINK alliance (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea) into a closer military cooperation that is not in the West's interests.

In the same way that the Ukraine war has become a proxy war between Russia and Nato, the Iran war is slowly becoming a proxy war between the US and the growing CRINK alliance countries.

The four countries have been cooperating much more closely, especially after the West imposed extreme sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine four years ago. However, they've kept that ties low key and have focused largely on economic cooperation- especially in the case of China. North Korea and Iran have been more overtly helping Russia with military technology, especially in the supply of drones and artillery shells.

But in the case of the Iranian war all three countries have been stepping up their military aid to Iran. China has been sharing its sophisticated BeiDou satellite navigation system for Iranian drones. Russia has also been providing satellite intelligence and new drone technology developed at its drone factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. And North Korea has provided Iran with its long-distance rocket technology.

Now China is reportedly going to supply Iran with some of its most sophisticated missiles. US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to deliver new air defence systems to Iran within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments, CNN reports. US intelligence says that Iran may be using the current ceasefire as an opportunity to replenish certain weapons systems with the help of key foreign partners.

Both Russia and China seem to have already provided Iran with its hypersonic missile technology- a technology the US has yet to develop and has negated the effectiveness of the American supplied patriots PAC-3 intercept missiles.

And both China and Russia will be pleased to see their most sophisticated weapons tested in real combat conditions against US weapons and defences ahead of a potential third proxy war fought in Taiwan, which is heavily armed with the same defensive systems as the Gulf states. Already the hypersonic missiles Iran has used have effectively defeated the US Patriot interceptors that were supposed to be the state of the art.

Iranian, Russian presidential phone call

Now that this weekend’s ceasefire talks have already collapsed, on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke on the phone in an exchange that Iran press is dubbing of "critical importance."

The conversation was full of mutual assistance promises and represents another step towards the CRINK alliance becoming a military alliance which is more overtly acting against the US-Israeli coalition and Trump's efforts to defeat Iran.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also warned this weekend that if Israel used nuclear weapons against Iran, then then the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would respond in kind with a nuclear strike against Israel. Islamabad made the same threats, saying if Israel were to strike Iran with a nuclear weapon, then Pakistan would strike Israel with one of its nuclear warheads.

There is a growing overlap between the Ukraine war and the Iranian war that could be seen as a slow drift into a third World War. China's increase in military cooperation with Iran is particularly worrying given its designs to reunite with Taiwan, a desire that is made by the US’ military demonstrable failure to defeat Iran in the current conflict. Iran has surprised everyone with the effectiveness of its asymmetric warfare tactics, an extrapolation of the lessons Russia has learned on the Ukrainian battlefield.

Unwavering support from Moscow

Putin reaffirmed that Russia considers Iran's security "intrinsically linked" to Russia’s. In the face of Trump's threats, the Kremlin warned any aggression against Tehran will be seen as a major destabilization of Eurasia.

Russia and Iran signed off on a "Mutual Defence Pact" last April, that promises to come to support each other in the face of aggression, but did not include explicit Article 5-like security guarantees. Last year Moscow signed a similar mutual security pact with Pyongyang that did include a collective security guarantee for the first time.

Now the two leaders of Iran and Russia have accelerated the signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that beefs up their military cooperation but still stops short of a collective security deal. However, the supply of new military hardware is overt support of military supplies. Previously, the CRINK partners have held themselves to supplying mostly dual-use equipment. According to reports, the discussion includes the immediate deployment of additional S-400 air defence systems and Russian advisors to protect Iranian oil infrastructure – possible Russian boots on the ground in Iran, similar to the military support Putin sent to aid Syrian president Bashar al-Assad before his fall.

Like the US support of Ukraine, the CRINK partners have been supporting Iran to ensure it is not defeated by the US onslaught but not supplying it with enough weapons to ensure an Iranian victory. But as the conflict drags on, the power of the weapons being sent to Tehran seems to be increasing. For China, the conflict is especially important as it continues to rely heavily on the Gulf for the bulk of its oil, gas and many commodity imports and needs not only for Iran to remain functional, but cannot let the US take control of the Strait of Hormuz or even block it completely with the naval blockade that comes into effect on April 13.

Pezeshkian and Putin have greenlit the full activation of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which is an alternative export route that will render the American Hormuz blockade irrelevant by routing goods and energy through the Caspian Sea and Russian railways.

Moscow has hinted that if Iranian assets remain frozen or ships are seized, Russia could supply even more "sensitive" technologies that may include its advanced hypersonic missiles to ensure that "the aggressor pays an unbearable price," Putin said.