China's supply of arms to Iran fuels Tehran's terror

China's provision of arms to Iran both aids and supports Tehran's terror, as Beijing does little to prevent its technology from falling into the hands of Iranian proxy militias.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was briefed by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf on August 4 that China had provided the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used in recent years by Iranian proxy groups.

Leaf added that although the state did not grant them, it made no effort to stop the flow, according to a story in the Al Arabia Post.


The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) purchases drones, particularly those from China, and then sends them to a dozen proxies dispersed around Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen

China-made drones are now prevalent in the arsenals of terrorist organisations supported by Iran. Drones were used by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, to strike Saudi Arabia's oil production facilities in 2019 and, two years later, an oil ship near Oman that is owned by Japan and operated by Israel.

When Iranian-backed militants attacked US military outposts in southeast Syria in August 2022, the drones were utilized.

Iran and Pakistan are the only countries with access to China's BeiDou military-grade transmission network. According to Al Arabia Post, Iran Electronics Industries, a state-owned enterprise under the Defense Ministry, signed a contract with China in October 2015 to get access to BeiDou.

Iran and China are gradually mending their relationship. According to reports in the media, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe travelled to Tehran on April 28 to meet with top Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi.

The agreement was announced by the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who told reporters, "In Wednesday's meeting with the Chinese minister of defence, we agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in joint military drills, exchange of strategies, training issues and other common fields between the two countries armed forces so that we can provide better security for the two countries territories."

China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation deal in March of last year to strengthen their economic and political ties.

The agreement's terms call for a massive $400 billion to be invested in enhancing bilateral economic, military, and security relations.

China is deftly using tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran to its advantage by providing both countries with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Saudi Arabia inked a contract with China in March to construct a drone factory so that it could produce UAVs domestically due to concerns about Iran's aggressiveness. According to Al Arabia Post, the deal was inked by both countries' state-owned defence companies: China Electronics Technology Group and Saudi Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Co.

Since 2014, when it ordered the Wing Loong II and CH-4 spy and strike drones, Riyadh has started buying Chinese drones. These exact replicas of American drones are both capable of transporting two air-to-surface missiles as payloads.
(Inputs from ANI)