Journalist Peter Schweizer has explained that the U.S. strikes on Iran could potentially cripple China, as the country relies heavily on Iranian oil and was a critical strategic partner of the Ayatollah's regime. The journalist suggested that the operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, may have “ripple effects” that become “tidal waves in China’s” as China was able to buy energy on the cheap because they were sanctioning companies and paying $15 a barrel less than anyone else was. He also mentioned the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) race between the US and China, which saw two of the biggest AI contractors in the country not being paid for large contracts in Venezuela and Iran. Schweizer noted that the United States now controls the Strait of Hormuz, a body-water area vital to transporting much of the world's oil supply.