China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran in the next few weeks, according to a report citing sources with knowledge of US intelligence.
The move would be “provocative,” according to CNN, considering China played a major role in brokering the fragile cease-fire deal between Iran and the US earlier this week.
Beijing is working to route shipments through third countries to hide the backroom trade — which involves shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, multiple US intelligence sources told CNN.
The weapons — which use heat-seeking guidance to lock onto an aircraft’s engine or exhaust — posed a major threat to the US military during the five-week war, with one nearly taking out a F/A-18 Super Hornet last week.
The F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran last week was targeted by a “handheld shoulder missile, [a] heat-seeking missile,” Trump said Monday, though it’s not clear whether it had been provided by China.
Chinese companies have also continued to sell sanctioned technology to Iran that would help the country build weapons and enhance its navigation systems, the sources alleged.
China, however, denied the claims, with a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington telling CNN, “China has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict; the information in question is untrue.”
“As a responsible major country, China consistently fulfills its international obligations. We urge the U.S. side to refrain from making baseless allegations, maliciously drawing connections, and engaging in sensationalism; we hope that relevant parties will do more to help de-escalate tensions,” the spokesperson said.
The trade wouldn’t be the first time China was accused of supplying Iran with weapons in the recent war.
In February, Beijing was looking to sell CM-302 missiles, which have a range of about 180 miles and are capable of flying low and fast enough to evade a ship’s aerial defenses, though it’s not clear whether that deal went through.
President Trump is expected to visit China in early May for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
