Last month, the autonomous region of Murcia, located in southeastern Spain, signed an agreement with a Jewish organization to take steps to preserve the legacy of its Jewish history. The Jerusalem Post reports:

The agreement was signed . . . in the old synagogue of Lorca, unique among synagogues throughout Spain in that it was never converted into a church. Lorca is a city that served as the frontier town between Christian and Muslim Spain in Middle Ages, where Jews frequently served as intermediaries between the two communities.

Murcia had a rich and active Jewish past, with several notable Jews residing there, including [the 13th-century statesman] Moses ibn Turiel. Many of the port city’s Jews were historically involved in the maritime trade. It is speculated that these connections were ultimately important when the majority of Jews who fled overseas during the Expulsion from Spain in 1492 used the ports in the region to travel to other parts of the Mediterranean and beyond.

For more than a year, the Iran-backed Houthis have been launching drones and missiles at ships traversing the Red Sea, as well as at Israeli territory, in support of Hamas. This development has drastically curtailed shipping through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, driving up trade prices. This week, the Trump administration began an extensive bombing campaign against the Houthis in an effort to reopen that crucial waterway. Burcu Ozcelik highlights another benefit of this action:

The administration has a broader geopolitical agenda—one that includes countering China’s economic leverage, particularly Beijing’s reliance on Iranian oil. By targeting the Houthis, the United States is not only safeguarding vital shipping lanes but also exerting pressure on the Iran-China energy nexus, a key component of Beijing’s strategic posture in the region.

China was the primary destination for up to 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports in 2024, underscoring the deepening economic ties between Beijing and Tehran despite U.S. sanctions. By helping fill Iranian coffers, China aids Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in financing proxies like the Houthis. Since October of last year, notable U.S. Treasury announcements have revealed covert links between China and the Houthis.

Striking the Houthis could trigger broader repercussions—not least by disrupting the flow of Iranian oil to China. While difficult to confirm, it is conceivable and has been reported, that the Houthis may have received financial or other forms of compensation from China (such as Chinese-made military components) in exchange for allowing freedom of passage for China-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea.