James Durso
After the recent attacks by Israel and the United States, Iran will likely upgrade its conventional defensive and offensive capabilities with China’s help.
Despite the well-publicized Iran–China 25-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Chinese officials,
including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, temporized by criticizing Israel’s actions and expressing concern over regional instability;
President Xi Jinping urged both sides to cease hostilities and proposed a four-point peace framework, avoiding direct blame on Israel.
China maintained economic ties with Iran, but refrained from providing weapons or direct assistance, consistent with its non-interventionist foreign policy.
Despite China’s low-key approach, plane watchers claimed regularly-scheduled CARGOLUX flights from China to Europe “went dark” as they passed over Tehran.
It is doubtful the carrier, CARGOLUX, a leading air cargo carrier, would take the sanctions risk of delivering weaponry to Iran, whatever China may have offered to pay.
Though Russia was criticized for failing to provide Iran with the S-400 air defense system (supplied to China, Belarus, Algeria, and Turkey) and the Su-35 combat aircraft (supplied to China, India, Egypt, and Indonesia),
Moscow can be excused as it is fighting NATO in Ukraine. That said, Iranians won’t forget they came to Russia’s aid in Ukraine by supplying the Shahed-136 drone with full technology transfer that allowed localized production, and ballistic missiles.
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