It would benefit China immensely to have the US embroiled in a draining and embarrassing war in the Middle East. And since they’re so well positioned for an electrified economy they’re the clear winners of permanently elevated oil prices.

Not just China, but the entire world would be a winner of an electrified economy in the face of climate change.

Besides the fact that this is most probably state-sponsored disinformation intended to scuttle the peace talks, I don't see how providing Iran with defensive weapons (as the article details) would be "a provocative move". Aren't the US rearming as well in the same timeframe? Isn't Israel? And they're even the illegal attackers.

It is not disinfo; it is fact. Inconvenient facts and disinfo are separate concepts.

Trump said anyone supplying Iran weapons would be subject to 50% tarriffs. Of course that's provocative