Iran set to receive Chinese missiles despite Xi’s pledge to Trump, Reuters reports

Iran is expected to receive a first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made man-portable air defense systems within weeks, according to an exclusive report by Reuters ↗ 2.81% published on Wednesday, citing three sources familiar with the agreement. The deal, if completed, would directly contradict assurances that Chinese President Xi Jinping gave to President Donald Trump that Beijing would not supply weapons to Iran.unn+1

The Deal

The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 MANPADS, including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 surface-to-air missiles, in an agreement valued at $60–70 million, according to the Reuters report. The deal was signed through a Hong Kong-based intermediary acting between the Iranian government and Chinese suppliers. Deliveries are planned via air from Urumqi, in China's far-western Xinjiang region, through Pakistan to Iran, the sources said.x+2

Tehran has sought to rebuild its air defenses after they were heavily degraded during the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. The U.S. launched multiple waves of strikes on Iran's coastal defenses and missile sites in mid-July after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports.reuters

China's Denial and Trump's Assurances

China's Foreign Ministry denied the report, calling it "completely groundless" and stating that "China has consistently played a role in promoting peace". The denial echoes previous rejections by Beijing of claims it has been arming Iran during the conflict.politicstoday

The report is particularly notable given Trump's repeated public statements that Xi personally assured him China would not sell weapons to Iran. "President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said earlier this year. As recently as July 24, Trump told reporters he accepts those assurances, saying in his opinion neither China nor Russia is "participating" in the Iran war.thehill+1

A Pattern of Arms Procurement

The MANPADS deal follows a pattern of Iranian efforts to procure Chinese weapons since the conflict began. Reuters reported in February that Iran was nearing a deal for Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, and in April, CNN reported that U.S. intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver air defense systems to Iran. A separate assessment noted Iran had pursued a larger procurement agreement involving Russian missile systems as well.cnn+3

The potential delivery raises questions about whether Washington will confront Beijing over the apparent gap between Xi's private assurances and the reported arms flow — and whether it could widen the conflict at a time when fighting has already spread to the Red Sea and Caspian regions.reuters