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China Sent 1,300 Shipments of Drone, Missile Parts to Iran This Year
Confirmed
In Short: The shipments form part of broader Chinese support that has helped Iran sustain its weapons programs and economy during the war.
According to Iranian customs data cited by the Journal, these shipments include electronic components that can be used in drones and missile guidance systems.
US officials told the Journal that Chinese banks and front companies have assisted Iran in evading US sanctions, providing billions of dollars to the Iranian regime.
Ellis Slotkin, a US senator, urged President Donald Trump to address China's aid to Iran during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Journal also revealed that Iran had obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of a US base in Jordan from Chinese sources before launching a missile attack that killed three American soldiers in July.
Iran has used a barter-like arrangement to bypass sanctions on its oil sales, buying billions of dollars' worth of goods from China, including military equipment.
In July, Reuters reported that Iran was expected to receive up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers.
Mahan Air, an Iranian airline under US sanctions, increased its China-Iran flights after the war began, ferrying cash, weapons, and personnel for Iran.
The shipments form part of broader Chinese support that has helped Iran sustain its weapons programs and economy during the war.
China remains the main buyer of Iranian oil despite US sanctions, with roughly four million barrels reportedly reaching China in the week after the sanctions program launched.
Beijing has repeatedly refused to acknowledge that Chinese firms have supplied Iran with satellite imagery to target US forces.
China has also said it strictly controls exports of dual-use goods and rejects unilateral US sanctions on trade with Iran.
What this adds
The report highlights the ongoing support from China to Iran, despite international sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
The shipments continued even as the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire in June.
The Journal's findings put Chinese support for Iran at the center of President Xi Jinping's Washington visit, a summit that also covers trade, artificial intelligence, and Taiwan.
Background
A pro-Ukrainian partisan movement, ATESH, claimed to have sabotaged the power supply to a Russian semiconductor plant in Voronezh, disrupting production of electronic components used in missiles and air defense systems.
What's confirmed
- Iranian customs records reviewed by the Journal showed shipments containing GPS devices, electric motors, aircraft engine parts and other dual-use equipment.
- China remains the main buyer of Iranian oil despite US sanctions.
What's still developing
- "There is now a large and growing body of evidence that Chinese companies are helping Iran target and kill American troops, keep Iran’s drone and missile programs alive, and sustain Iran’s economy,” she wrote.
- Iranian officials did not respond to WSJ requests for comment.
- Elissa Slotkin confronted Trump over this in a letter sent on Friday, which the WSJ saw.
- According to the report, one shipment arrived in Tehran as the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on June 17 and Beijing publicly touted its efforts to help end the fighting.
- The deliveries were part of a surge in cargo flights from China to Iran that provided Tehran with a key supply route for its weapons programs as US sanctions and a naval blockade restricted maritime trade, according to the report.
- Chinese companies have additionally helped supply Iran with chemical precursors used in weapons production, according to Thursday’s report, which cited an unspecified document and sources familiar with the matter.
- Two days later, more than a dozen shipments arrived carrying over $6 million worth of parts that could be used in drones.
- Some were designated as defense imports exempt from Iranian tariffs.
- The report puts Chinese support for Iran at the center of President Xi Jinping's Washington visit this week, a summit President Trump has said will also cover trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan A Wall Street Journal investigation found Chinese suppliers sent around 1,300 shipments of dual-use components to Iran's defense ministry in the first half of 2026, sustaining Tehran's drone and missile programs even as Washington pressed Beijing over its support for Iran.
- Data showed one shipment of electronics components used in drone and missile guidance systems arrived in Tehran on the same day the US and Iran signed a 60-day truce in June.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that China was enabling Iran "at different levels," while Trump said he trusted Xi's assurances that China would not supply Iran with weapons.