Despite the armed conflict with the United States and Israel, and warnings of new sanctions from Washington, China has continued to send dual-use components to Iran. A Wall Street Journal report reveals that in the first half of 2026, nearly 1,300 shipments from Chinese suppliers were destined for the Iranian Ministry of Defense, supporting the maintenance of weapons programs despite damage caused by attacks.
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Data from the company ImportGenius, spanning from January 2025 to June 2026, record thousands of shipments to Iranian firms and the Ministry of Defense. The transported items contain GPS equipment, engines and engine parts for aircraft, and other elements applicable to military systems.
One of these shipments arrived on June 17, coinciding with the period when Washington and Tehran had agreed on a 60-day ceasefire and Beijing was promoting itself as a peace broker. Only two days later, the WSJ identified more than a dozen additional shipments worth over $6 million, which could be used in drone production. Some of them referenced Article 119, which exempts defense-related imports from customs duties.
After the outbreak of war on February 28, trade exchanges between the two countries were severely shaken, while a US naval blockade imposed in April further restricted supplies. In response, Tehran strengthened air corridors with China.
FlightRadar24 statistics show that the Iranian air carrier Mahan Air – under US sanctions – increased services from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to Tehran from four weekly flights at the start of March to approximately 27 at the end of April.
During the first week of September, Mahan Air operated 39 flights on China-Iran routes, nearly double the amount before the conflict. Some of these trips were not open for booking by ordinary passengers.
Expert Kate Koren from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has identified Chinese firms advertising sensitive electronic components intended for Shahed-type drones. According to her, suppliers were contacting Iranian buyers through trade fairs and promotional publications in Persian.
The WSJ report also highlights that shipments of chemical substances from China have contributed to replenishing Iranian missile production capacities, damaged by Israeli attacks during 2024.
After reports about these exports came to light in 2025, US forces conducted a raid on a vessel carrying dual-use components from China to Iran.
In a December letter, the sanctioned Chinese firm Haokun Energy stated that it had coordinated confidential export licenses for sodium perchlorate – a material used in rocket fuel. The company had also created an entity in Beijing for this transaction. The WSJ confirmed the existence of the company’s registration, but could not verify whether the deal was finalized.
Washington has simultaneously targeted networks suspected of trying to supply Iran with new Chinese portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft systems. One of the attempts is believed to have gone through Belarus, aiming to conceal the end user.
Support between the two countries is not limited to military supplies. China has become the main buyer of Iranian oil since the launch of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign by the Trump administration in 2018.
In 2021, Beijing and Tehran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement; US lawmakers estimate that China buys more than 80% of Iranian crude oil exports.
According to US officials and sources cited by the WSJ, payments are mediated through banking networks and shell companies, including transactions in the Chinese yuan.
In a specific case, the sale of Iranian petrochemical products to Egypt was designed to be carried out in yuan through the China International Payment System (CIPS), after the United States opposed the use of the US dollar.
Meanwhile, Washington has imposed sanctions on Chinese companies involved in supplies and the provision of satellite imagery. American officials have linked Chinese satellite images, captured before and after the Iranian attack on July 17, to a strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan.
However, within the Trump administration there have been differing views on how to handle China. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asserted that China and Russia have enabled Iran to continue operations; while President Trump has referred to assurances given by Xi Jinping that there had been no weapons transfers, saying: ‘I believe them.’
For his part, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has assessed that Chinese assistance has not altered the course of the conflict.
Beijing has denied accusations of illegal support to Iran, emphasizing that it implements export control rules and opposes unilateral sanctions.
