Several companies from China have held discussions about possible arms sales to Iran, in a plan that would involve sending military equipment through third countries, in an attempt to hide the origin of the deliveries, according to American officials, writes The New York Times.
Washington claims to have obtained intelligence information indicating that representatives of Chinese companies and Iranian officials have discussed arms transfers. However, it is not clear whether such deliveries have been made, in what volume, and to what extent the authorities in Beijing would have approved these agreements.
The revelations are likely to increase pressure on President Donald Trump, who is in China this week, to raise the issue in discussions with Beijing’s leaders. However, it remains unclear whether the American president will choose to directly address the topic, given his apparent interest in recalibrating the relationship with President Xi Jinping.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump stated that he intends to have a “long discussion” with Xi Jinping about the conflict in the Middle East, adding that the Chinese leader has had a “relatively good” attitude towards Iran.
According to officials quoted anonymously, assessments regarding the status of these potential transfers vary: some believe that the equipment could have already been directed towards third countries, while others do not confirm this. So far, there is no indication that Chinese weapons have been used on the battlefield against American or Israeli forces since the beginning of the conflict with Iran, in February.
The New York Times reported last month that American intelligence services had obtained data suggesting that China had transferred to Iran portable air defense systems, known as MANPADS, capable of shooting down aircraft flying at low altitude. At the same time, other possible deliveries of this type of equipment were also analyzed.
