A US Congress commission said China sold offensive drones and rocket-fuel components to Iran and that Tehran likely relies on China’s BeiDou satellite navigation for drone and missile attacks across West Asia.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission released a “China–Iran Fact Sheet” saying that in the days before US and Israeli strikes in February 2026, China engaged in direct arms sales to Iran, including offensive drones and a nearly finalised deal for anti-ship cruise missiles (delivery date not agreed). The report says China permitted sales of a rocket-fuel component: around March 2, 2026, two state-owned Iranian vessels left China’s Gaolan Port bound for Iran, believed to be carrying sodium perchlorate, a precursor for solid rocket fuel. In January 2025, China reportedly sent 1,000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate.
The commission notes that in 2021 China granted Iran full military access to the BeiDou satellite navigation system, and it is plausible Iran currently relies on BeiDou for drone and missile attacks throughout the Middle East. While China avoided formal defence commitments previously, recent developments indicate a shift toward a less restrained approach to providing Iran with kinetic military capabilities.
China was a major supplier of conventional weapons to Iran in the 1980s but curbed transfers after UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015. In recent years cooperation shifted to dual-use technology and defence-related technologies relevant to missile and drone development; Chinese components — including sensors, voltage converters, and semiconductors — have been found in Iranian drones used by proxies and exported to Russia. China and Iran have also deepened military ties via the SCO and BRICS; Iran hosted an SCO military exercise in December 2025.
The US–China Economic and Security Review Commission is a legislative branch body created by Congress to monitor and report on the national-security implications of the US–China economic relationship.
