Since the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad is dependent on financial support from the Islamic Republic, Richard Goldberg argues that the U.S. should use economic measures against Tehran to retaliate for Assad’s chemical-weapons attacks on civilians, and to help prevent him from carrying out more of them:

The [American] president should . . . target the financial lifeblood of Iran’s strategic hold on Syria: the Central Bank of Iran. In January, Donald Trump promised to stop waiving sanctions on the bank unless Europe helped him fix Barack Obama’s nuclear deal. But the deal can never be truly fixed so long as Iran can use its central bank to spread evil outside its borders. It’s time for Trump to signal his intention to allow the sanctions waiver to expire.

Rather than using the windfall of sanctions relief provided under the nuclear deal to stabilize its economy, Iran’s central bank doubled down on sponsoring terrorism. In addition to financing the regime’s illicit missile program, proxy war in Yemen, and repression at home, the Central Bank of Iran underwrites Hizballah and the Revolutionary Guard Corps in the war for Assad’s survival. In effect, Assad’s use of chemical weapons is enabled if not directly subsidized by the bank.

If terrorism, missiles, and domestic repression weren’t enough reasons for France, Germany, and Britain to support the re-imposition of sanctions against the bank, perhaps the financing of crimes against humanity will be. When the French president Emmanuel Macron and the German chancellor Angela Merkel visit the White House later this month to ask for exceptions to these sanctions, Trump should push back hard. . . . Every waiver [of sanctions] helps Iran build another missile to wipe Israel off the map. Every exception increases the budget for Iranian terrorism. Every carve-out brings us more Shiite militias and [increases] the threat of Islamic State’s resurgence in Syria. . . .

The timing is perfect for the re-imposition of sanctions on the bank. This weekend, Iran’s currency cratered to a new record low. Protests are continuing throughout the country. The signs of regime instability and vulnerability to outside pressure are growing. Now is the ideal time to hit Iran’s central bank and shake the regime to its core.

On Tuesday, representatives of Hamas met with their counterparts from Fatah—the faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) once led by Yasir Arafat that now governs parts of the West Bank—in Beijing to discuss possible reconciliation. While it is unlikely that these talks will yield any more progress than the many previous rounds, they constitute a significant step in China’s increasing attempts to involve itself in the Middle East on the side of Israel’s enemies.

By contrast, writes Tuvia Gering, Taiwan has been quick and consistent in its condemnations of Hamas and Iran and its expressions of sympathy with Israel:

Support from Taipei goes beyond words. Taiwan’s appointee in Tel Aviv and de-facto ambassador, Abby Lee, has been busy aiding hostage families, adopting the most affected kibbutzim in southern Israel, and volunteering with farmers. Taiwan recently pledged more than half a million dollars to Israel for critical initiatives, including medical and communications supplies for local municipalities. This follows earlier aid from Taiwan to an organization helping Israeli soldiers and families immediately after the October 7 attack.

The reasons why are not hard to fathom:

In many ways, Taiwan sees a reflection of itself in Israel—two vibrant democracies facing threats from hostile neighbors. Both nations wield substantial economic and technological prowess, and both heavily depend on U.S. military exports and diplomacy. Taipei also sees Israel as a “role model” for what Taiwan should aspire to be, citing its unwavering determination and capabilities to defend itself.

On a deeper level, Taiwanese leaders seem to view Israel’s war with Hamas and Iran as an extension of a greater struggle between democracy and autocracy.

Gering urges Israel to reciprocate these expressions of friendship and to take into account that “China has been going above and beyond to demonize the Jewish state in international forums.” Above all, he writes, Jerusalem should “take a firmer stance against China’s support for Hamas and Iran-backed terrorism, exposing the hypocrisy and repression that underpin its vision for a new global order.”