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Recent reports suggest that China is extending military support to Iran, a claim supported by a prominent U.S. military think tank. This assistance appears to target the enhancement of Iran’s missile capabilities.
The Institute for the Study of War has highlighted evidence of China’s involvement in bolstering Iran’s missile program, drawing on recent findings and reports.
As per the Institute’s analysis, China plays a crucial role in helping Iran rebuild its missile infrastructure, despite ongoing efforts by the United States and Israel to weaken it.
Western media outlets have reported that China has dispatched several shipments of missile fuel precursors to Iran since the conflict’s inception, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The think tank warns that China’s actions could potentially counteract the joint efforts of the U.S. and Israel to dismantle the foundational elements of Iran’s ballistic missile initiatives.
Gordon Chang, an expert on China, told Fox News Digital that “China is an enemy combatant and is endangering our troops.”
A Ghadr-H missile, center, a Sejjil missile and a portrait of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. (AP)
The Daily Telegraph recently reported that, “Ships believed to be carrying Chinese chemicals for missile fuel have arrived in Iran, raising questions about Beijing’s support for the regime. Four sanctioned Iran-flagged vessels have docked at Iranian ports since the war broke out.”
The report also claimed that, “Sanctioned vessels carrying enough chemicals to produce hundreds of projectiles travel from Chinese to Iranian ports.”
Chang urged the U.S. to seize the Chinese vessels that are reportedly transporting sodium perchlorate, the chemical material required for Iran’s missile fuel systems. He added that “It is a question of America’s will to impose costs on China.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with the late Supreme Leader of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, Iran on January 23, 2016. (Pool / Supreme Leader Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Chang concluded by noting that the “President of the U.S. has many points of leverage. If you look at the overall relationship between China and the U.S., the U.S. has more cards to play.” He cited the U.S.-China trade relationship because China is an export-driven country and depends on the vital American consumer market.
The Islamic Republic’s military forces have reportedly been feverishly working to rebuild their missile apparatus after punishing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war on Feb. 28.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, “Iran has been digging out underground missile bunkers and silos struck by the combined force, in some cases returning them to operation hours after strikes, according to recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Iran may be reestablishing access to their launchers hours after strikes, but these launchers are components of a larger system that has been degraded. Reported fear and lack of coordination across some Iranian forces mean that medium-range missile systems are still functioning sub-optimally.”
Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, June 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Tomer Neuberg)
Chinese companies have been sanctioned as part of busting U.S. restrictions on providing military aid to Iran’s regime. In 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had “designated one individual and six entities in a sanctions’ evasion network that has facilitated Iran’s procurement of electronic components for its destabilizing military programs, including those used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Particularly, this action targets the head of U.S.-designated Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), and the entity’s Iran-, Malaysia-, Hong Kong, and PRC-based front companies[People’s Republic of China] and suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology.”
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, “China portrays itself as a neutral actor in the conflict with Iran, but it has long ignored the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions and destabilizing activities while providing the regime an economic lifeline and other support. The United States has sanctioned China- and Hong Kong-based entities and individuals for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV proliferation activities. We will continue to act to ensure China does not contribute to the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities.”
Just last month, a report by the Atlantic Council noted “China has supplied Iran with drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and the components thereof, to aid in its aerial and maritime defense capabilities. In other instances, China directly supplies Iran with Western or Chinese technology components that are found in Iranian drones used against US military installations and economic interests in the Gulf, as well as on Russia’s battlefield in Ukraine.”
Fox News Digital press queries to China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were not immediately returned.