China Reportedly Begins Supplying Iran with MANPADS Amid Middle East Conflict
Iran is likely to receive the first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made portable air defence missile launchers in the coming weeks, according to a report citing three sources familiar with the agreement. The purchase, valued between US$60 million and US$70 million (approximately Rp960 billion to Rp1.19 trillion), represents one of Iran’s largest known public efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel.
The contract includes the purchase of between 300 and 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 sources said acted as an intermediary between Iran and Chinese suppliers.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as baseless. ‘The relevant reports are completely unfounded. China has consistently played a role in promoting peace and ending conflicts,’ the ministry stated. The Beijing-based Zhong Qing Bao Shang Group, the parent company of Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Iran needs to replenish its arsenal after months of conflict, during which the US and Israel struck facilities linked to Iran’s missile, drone, and air defence programmes. The delivery of hundreds of MANPADS would significantly expand Iran’s short-range air defence stockpile and signal deepening military ties between Iran and China. However, sources cautioned that while the contract has been signed, delivery schedules, quantities, and implementation details could still change.
Under the agreed plan, the initial shipment will be transported by air from Urumqi in western China, transiting through Pakistan en route to Iran. Sources did not specify whether subsequent deliveries would proceed by air or land. Pakistan’s military, through its Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) unit, denied any involvement in the shipment of air defence weapons from China to Iran. A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. ‘Speculation regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the supply of air defence weapons to Iran from China is entirely fabricated and untrue,’ ISPR stated.