US could shift focus to Indo-Pacific, researchers sayBy Huang Ching-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday in airstrikes on Iran carried out by the US and Israel, could allow Washington to shift its strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific region, a Taiwanese defense researcher said yesterday. The US and Israel on Saturday conducted coordinated strikes against Iran, reporting that Khamenei was killed in the attacks — a claim later confirmed by Iranian state media. “If US-Israeli military operations achieve substantial suppression of Iran, the regional security architecture would be reshaped,” he said. A weakened Iran would deprive Beijing of a key Middle East partner in any anti-US alignment, Su said. Chang cautioned against assuming the US would apply similar precision strikes against China as it did against Venezuela and Iran.

Source: Taipei Times March 01, 2026 16:28 UTC