Amid the ongoing war with the US, Iran is reportedly set to receive Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers to fortify its defence. According to Reuters, Iran is expected to receive the first shipment of 400 shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers within the coming weeks via Pakistan.
It is ironic that Pakistan, which emerged as a ‘mediator’, though a failed one, between the US and Iran, is reportedly backing Iran while Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif sways US President Donald Trump with sycophancy.
In May this year, a CBS report cited US officials to say that Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to be parked in its airfields to shield them from American attacks.
A Reuters report said that the deal between China and Iran is valued at $60-70 million. It covers the purchase of 300-400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles.
The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment, a Hong Kong-based company that acted as an intermediary between the Iranian side and the Chinese supplier.
The delivery of the MANPADS would significantly enrich Iran’s inventory of short-range air-defence weapons. The purchase is said to be Iran’s biggest-known effort to boost its defence capabilities, which were tested after the outbreak of war with the US and Israel.
In the war, Iran has enjoyed an upper hand in narrative games; however, it has been incapable of protecting its military and strategic infrastructure.
China, however, has dismissed the report regarding the supply of Chinese weapons to Iran. In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said, “The relevant reports are completely groundless. China has consistently played a role in promoting peace and ending the conflict.”
Pakistan has also ‘refuted’ the Reuters report.
Trump expresses disappointment
Reacting to the reports of Iran purchasing Chinese missiles, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would be disappointed if China supplied weapons to Iran.
Trump was asked about the weapons deal between Iran and China during a press interaction. He said that the Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him that China would not get involved in the war.
#WATCH | On reports of Iran getting 400 rocket launchers from China via Pakistan, US President Donald Trump says, "That would be surprising. Things like that happen… He (Chinese President Xi Jinping) told me very strongly he wouldn't partake. But he knows I'd be quite… pic.twitter.com/Qw5BUB6or5
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2026
“He told me very strongly he wouldn’t partake, but he knows I’d be quite disappointed. He’s coming here, I think, on September 24,” Trump said.
Earlier, in April, Trump said that the Chinese President had written to him, assuring him that China was not sending weapons to Tehran. Notably, Trump had warned of imposing a 50% tariff on countries that provide weapons to Iran.
