China has provided surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran, according to a recent report published by Middle-East Eye. The Iranian regime has reportedly paid for these surface-to-air missile batteries through oil shipments, bringing in place a barter system between the two countries.
The shipment marks a deepening relationship between Iran and China despite speculations that Russia and China kept a distance from the US during the Israel-Iran conflict. Reports suggest Israel destroyed significant defence capabilities of Iran by targeting its launch pads, military bases while also killing top Iranian general and scientists. However, Tehran retaliated by reportedly inflicting damage to sensitive military sites in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
China Gave Iran HY-2 Silkworm Missiles in 1980s
In the late 1980s, Iran had received HY-2 Silkworm missiles from China. The Islamic Republic used these missiles on Kuwait, and US’ oil tankers during the tanker war. The Islamic Republic of Iran also possesses the Russian S-300, which is capable of engaging UAVs and providing defence against ballistic and cruise missiles. They also have independently developed batteries of the Khordad series and the Bavar-373.
China is considered the largest importer of Iranian oil. A report by the US Energy Information Administration that surfaced in May this year stated that nearly 90% of Iran’s crude and condensate exports flow to Beijing. For the past several years, China has been importing Iranian oil despite US sanctions in place.
Meanwhile, Tehran has expressed dissatisfaction with Moscow for the notable lack of Kremlin’s support during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel. “Russia has offered India 117 Su-35M fighter jets and joint production of the Su-57 with full technology transfer even though India is a US ally,” said Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat.
On the other hand, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, has reportedly said, “Russia has technological solutions for Uranium depletion and is ready to work with Iran in this field. As far as Russia is concerned, we are not talking about mediation here. We have technological capacities and we are ready to offer them, taking the excess of overly enriched uranium and returning the power-generation-grade uranium to the Islamic Republic and its nuclear facilities.”
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