China prepares arms shipment to Iran - CNN
Kyiv • UNN
US intelligence has uncovered Beijing's plans to transfer MANPADS to Tehran during the truce. China denies the accusations, trying to maintain its status as a neutral party.
According to US intelligence, China plans to supply Iran with man-portable air defense systems amid an unstable truce in the region. CNN reports this with reference to sources, UNN transmits.
Details
"US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to supply Iran with new air defense systems within the next few weeks," the publication writes.
The publication notes that this would be a provocative move, given that Beijing claimed it had helped broker the fragile ceasefire agreement that halted the war between Iran and the US earlier this week.
It is noted that US President Donald Trump also intends to visit China early next month for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Intelligence also emphasizes that Iran may be using the truce as an opportunity to replenish certain weapon systems with the help of key foreign partners.
Sources add that there are indications that Beijing is trying to route shipments through third countries to conceal their true origin.
According to sources, the systems Beijing is preparing to transfer are man-portable air defense systems, which posed an asymmetric threat to low-flying US military aircraft during the five-week war and could become such a threat again if the truce is violated.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington said: "China has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict; the information in question is false."
"As a responsible major power, China consistently fulfills its international obligations. We urge the American side to refrain from baseless accusations, malicious linking, and sensationalism; we hope that relevant parties will make more efforts to promote de-escalation of tensions," the spokesman said.
One source familiar with the intelligence said that China sees no real strategic value in openly intervening in the conflict and trying to protect Iran from the US and Israel, as it understands that such a war would be a losing proposition. Instead, Beijing is trying to position itself as an unwavering ally of Iran – on whose oil it largely depends – while remaining outwardly neutral so that it can deny its involvement after the war ends.
Recall
The Chinese Ministry of Defense denied reports that it had offered support to the Iranian military, including allegedly providing intelligence on the location of US forces during the war.