China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, a report citing unnamed U.S. intelligence sources says.
Drawing on “three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments,” CNN said that the delivery would be a “provocative move,” considering “Beijing said it helped broker the fragile cease fire” that paused the war between Iran and the United States earlier this week.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also set to meet next month after the president’s previous plan to make the trip to China was rescheduled because of the conflict.
The intelligence appears to indicate that Iran may be using the ceasefire to replenish certain weapon systems with the “help of foreign partners,” the cable network reported.
There is evidence Beijing is working to route the shipments through third countries to hide their origin, two of the unnamed sources said.
Included in the shipment would be shoulder-fired anti-missile systems known as MANPADs, which would threaten U.S. military aircraft if the ceasefire ends and armed conflict resumes, the unnamed sources said.
President Trump indicated during a press conference earlier this week that the F-15 fighter jet shot down last week over Iran was shot down by just such a handheld weapon.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington refuted the intelligence assessment, saying:
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.
Shipping MANPADS to Iran would mark an escalation in China’s support for the country since Operation Epic Fury began in February.
According to CNN’s sources, Chinese companies have “continued to sell the Iranians sanctioned dual-use technology that enables the [sic] Iran to keep building weapons and enhance its navigation systems[.]”
“Directly transferring weapons systems would mark a new escalation of assistance,” CNN said.
However, China sees “no real strategic value in overtly entering the conflict and trying to protect Iran against the US and Israel,” according to another CNN source. But China depends heavily on Iran’s oil and wants to remain on friendly terms with the country.
Both China and Russia have had long-established military and economic relationships with Iran. CNN has reported that Moscow has provided formidable intelligence assistance during the war by locating U.S. troops and assets in the Middle East.
Sources told the network that the Chinese could make the argument that air defense systems are defensive rather than offensive in nature, unlike the support from Russia.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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