It has emerged that US intelligence has obtained indications that China may have directly supplied weapons to Iran, which is at war.

On the 11th (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing US government sources, that US intelligence agencies in recent weeks obtained information suggesting the possibility that China provided man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) to Iran. Such missiles are fired from the shoulder by infantry and are mainly used to shoot down low-flying aircraft.

US intelligence agencies are also said to assess that, in this war, the Chinese government has taken a covertly active posture, including by allowing some companies to export to Iran chemicals, fuel, and components that could be diverted for military use. Earlier, CNN also reported, citing US intelligence sources, that signs had been detected of China seeking to ship missiles to Iran via third countries.

The NYT analyzed that, if China allowed the export of missiles to Iran, it could be read as a signal that China is moving proactively to bring about a US defeat in this war and as a “significant escalation.” It suggested that China may have embarked on military support for Iran as an opportunity to raise US war costs and keep US forces tied down in the Middle East. It has also been reported that some political figures in China argue for providing weapons to Iran directly.

However, according to the sources, there is no conclusive evidence that missiles were actually transported from China to Iran or that Iran used Chinese-made missiles in its war against the United States and Israel. After the outbreak of war between the United States and Israel and Iran, China outwardly appeared to maintain a neutral stance and was reluctant to provide finished weapons to Iran. Chinese experts say China is keeping a neutral posture because it also maintains close economic ties with Gulf states that have been targets of Iranian attacks.

Henrietta Levin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said, “China is speaking more on the side of Gulf countries than of Iran,” and added, “For China, economic, technological, and energy relations with the Gulf are strategically far more important than any relationship with Iran.”

China immediately refuted the allegation that it had supplied weapons to Iran. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States, said, “China has not provided weapons to any party to the conflict,” and stated, “The information raised as allegations is not factual.” He continued, “We urge the US side to refrain from groundless assertions and from drawing malicious connections or acting in a sensational manner,” and added, “We hope the relevant parties will make greater efforts to ease tensions.”

The NYT also reported that the allegation of Chinese missile provision to Iran surfaced at a very sensitive time in US-China relations, ahead of a summit next month between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. If China has in fact provided weapons to Iran, it could emerge as a new point of contention in US-China relations. President Trump warned, regarding the allegation of Chinese missile provision to Iran, “China will face serious consequences if it sends weapons to Iran.”