China has sent attack drones to Iran, as it discusses ballistic missile sales
China is delivering “offensive” weapons as well as additional “defensive” arms to Iran, with the US on the cusp of launching an attack on the Islamic Republic, three officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
One Arab official familiar with the deliveries described the offensive weapons as “small” systems. Another regional intelligence official said Beijing had sent loitering munitions, or Kamikaze drones, to the Islamic Republic.
A second Arab official who spoke with MEE confirmed the deliveries of “offensive” weapons as well as the air-defence systems.
Reuters reported in September that Chinese Kamikaze drones appeared in Sudan's battlefield.
MEE revealed exclusively in July that China had supplied surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran following the 12-day war that culminated in the US striking three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The two Arab sources and a regional intelligence official familiar with the matter told MEE that China has continued to supply air defence assets to Iran since the summer. The regional intelligence official listed the Chinese systems in Iran’s possession as the HQ-16 and HQ-17AE.
Supplying attack drones could also be a way for Beijing to provide some offensive support to Iran while it weighs selling more sophisticated missiles.
Reuters reported this week that China is in discussions with Iran to provide CM‑302 anti‑ship cruise missiles. The CM-302 is both ship and ground-launched with a range of about 290 kilometres. The weapon could target US vessels in the Arabian Sea or closer to Iran’s shoreline in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf.
The regional intelligence source told MEE that the two states are also in discussions over Iran purchasing China’s DF-17 hypersonic glide missile. Although Iran’s ballistic missiles have similar ranges, the DF-17 has better manoeuvrability, which can help it evade air defence systems.
MEE reported that Iran has paid China for the air defence systems in the form of oil shipments. It's unclear how Iran has paid for the loitering munitions.
The US Energy Information Administration suggested in a report in May that 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports flow to Beijing.
Will Trump-Xi summit impact support for Tehran?
Notably, both Arab officials, whose governments are US partners, told MEE that Beijing informed their countries in general terms of the arms deliveries. That could be an attempt by Beijing to discourage a US attack and demonstrate it is prepared to stand by Tehran.
Current and former US and Arab officials have told MEE that Beijing may be reluctant to become too involved in any conflict, as it seeks to manage relations with the US amid trade tensions.
US President Donald Trump is expected to attend a high-level summit in China with President Xi Jinping in late March and early April. The world's two largest economies reached a truce after slapping reciprocal tariffs on each other last year.
The Trump administration has assembled the largest US military force in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The US has two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea, and the USS Gerald R Ford is in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In addition, there are guided-missile destroyers, Thaad air defence systems and dozens of F-35, F-22, F-15 and F-16 warplanes, as well as aerial-refuelling planes in the region.
Iran was battered by Israel during the 12-day war in June. Using American warplanes, Israel dominated Iran’s skies and assassinated Iranian commanders, destroyed air defence systems, weapons production facilities, and ballistic missile launchpads.
Iran turned to China over the summer as it rushed to repair its decimated air defence network. The Islamic Republic has historic military ties with both Russia and China.
Tehran's China and Russia ties
In the late 1980s, Iran received HY-2 Silkworm cruise missiles from China via North Korea when it was at war with Iraq. The Islamic Republic used the missiles to attack Kuwait and strike a US-flagged oil tanker during the so-called tanker wars.
In 2010, there were reports that Iran received HQ-9 anti-aircraft missiles from China, but in general, China’s weapons shipments to Iran were curtailed by a 2006 United Nations arms embargo. The embargo was reimposed under so-called Snap-Back sanctions in September 2015.
Russia’s defence ties to Iran eclipsed China’s, but the relationship was rewired by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow diverting much of its attention to the battlefields of Eastern Europe.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Russia agreed to sell Iran “Verba” man-portable air defence missile systems. Analysts told The Financial Times that the short-range Verba would not be missed by Russia, which is exchanging long-range missile and drone fire with Ukraine.
China’s decision to supply Kamikaze drones to the Islamic Republic suggests Beijing could be filling a gap that Russia is unable to provide because of its own demands.
Iran was at the vanguard of using cheap, Kamikaze drones to challenge sophisticated western air-defence systems.
Russia purchased thousands of Shahed drones from Iran in the early years of the Ukraine war, but more recently has been churning out its own domestic version based on Iranian technology, training, and design. With Russia launching near-daily air raids against Ukraine, it could be unwilling to part with any spares.
Iran has been heavily sanctioned, and Israel targeted much of its arms industry. China supplies around 80 percent of the world’s drone components and is a supplier to both Russia and Ukraine, so it could provide Iran with finished Kamikaze drones quickly, the regional officials told MEE.
