File : Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 2, 2025.
Iran is receiving substantial support from China, including the provision of intelligence and electronic components for military purposes, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
According to WSJ, citing Iranian customs data, China has shipped around 1,300 shipments to Iran’s defense ministry containing “dual-use” components and chemical compounds that could be used for drones, missile guidance systems, and ballistic missiles.
The WSJ also cited US officials as saying that Chinese banks and front companies had assisted Iran in avoiding US sanctions, providing billions of dollars to the regime.
According to the report, one shipment arrived in Tehran as the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on June 17 and Beijing publicly touted its efforts to help end the fighting.
The shipment contained Chinese “dual-use” electronics components that could be used in Iran’s drones and missile guidance systems, the report said. Two days later, more than a dozen shipments arrived carrying over $6 million worth of parts that could be used in drones.
The shipments were part of a surge in cargo flights from China to Iran that provided Tehran with a key supply route for its weapons programs as US sanctions and a naval blockade restricted maritime trade, according to the report.
Iranian customs records reviewed by the Journal showed shipments containing GPS devices, electric motors, aircraft engine parts and other dual-use equipment. Some were designated as defense imports exempt from Iranian tariffs.
Mahan Air, an Iranian airline under US sanctions that Washington has accused of ferrying cash, weapons and personnel for Iran, sharply increased its China-Iran flights after the war began, according to flight-tracking data. By late April, it was operating around 27 flights a week from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to Tehran, up from four a week at the beginning of March.
Neither Mahan Air nor the Iranian officials responded to WSJ requests for comment.
The report said that the shipments formed part of broader Chinese support that has helped Iran sustain its weapons programs and economy during the war. China remains the main buyer of Iranian oil despite US sanctions. Washington has sanctioned a series of Chinese and Hong Kong entities accused of helping Tehran obtain military components.
Earlier this month, the Journal reported that Chinese entities supplied Iran with high-quality satellite imagery of a US Air Force base in Jordan both before and after Tehran launched a deadly ballistic missile attack on the facility on July 17, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
Beijing has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that any Chinese firms have supplied Iran with satellite imagery to target US forces, according to the sources cited by the Journal.
Three American troops were killed on July 17, 2026, when an Iranian ballistic missile and drone barrage struck the housing quarters at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The attack also wounded four other U.S. service members. The Department of Defense identified two of the fallen soldiers as 1st Lt. James Feehan and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, while a third missing service member’s remains were recovered shortly after the strike.
Chinese companies have additionally helped supply Iran with chemical precursors used in weapons production, according to Thursday’s report, which cited an unspecified document and sources familiar with the matter.
The revelations came ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington this week, where Beijing’s support for Tehran is reportedly expected to loom over talks.
Beijing has rejected accusations that it is fueling the conflict, saying it abides by international rules and pushing back against “attempts to smear China by associating it with the conflict.” China has also said that it strictly controls exports of dual-use goods and that it rejects unilateral US sanctions on trade with Iran.
Trump reluctant to jeopardize relationship with Xi Jinping
US President Donald Trump has reportedly been reluctant to confront China’s aid to Iran, the WSJ reported.
WSJ/ News Agencies
