Chinese firms plan to secretly sell weapons to Iran — NYT
This is reported by the New York Times, citing anonymous sources.
“The United States has gathered intelligence suggesting that Chinese companies and Iranian officials discussed arms supplies. It is unclear how many weapons were supplied, if any, and to what extent Chinese officials approved the sale,” the article states.
It was expected that the White House chief would raise this issue at the summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Similar reports regarding assistance to Tehran have surfaced on more than one occasion, but Beijing has denied them.
Officials familiar with intelligence reports have reached differing conclusions as to whether weapons have already been shipped to third countries. However, it appears that no Chinese weapons have been used on the battlefield against American or Israeli forces since the start of the war against Iran in late February.
According to the NYT, US officials consider China’s efforts to supply military equipment to Iran unacceptable and want the Chinese government to block any arms transfers.
As a reminder, on 14 May, Donald Trump is visiting China – for the first time in nine years. At the summit with Xi Jinping, plans are in place to extend the trade agreement between the world’s two leading economies, as well as to discuss the war in Iran and Ukraine.
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