US intelligence is finding signs that China is considering giving Iran advanced radar systems
Washington – Days after the US-Israel led war with Iran last month, US intelligence agencies have detected signs that the war is at risk of expanding beyond the battlefield as Russia and China seek to support Iran in disrupting US-Israeli military operations.
Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s military intelligence arm, have assessed whether China was considering supplying Tehran with advanced radar systems, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter. The talks came amid separate reports that Russia has shared intelligence with Iran on US military bases across the Middle East.
While in Moscow information transfer In Tehran, as previously reported by CBS News, the apparent willingness of China – at the beginning of the conflict and possibly more than a long timeline – to help Iran points to a broader, if informal, cooperation between the powers that want to oppose US ambitions in the region.
US officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity to discuss national security issues, said Beijing has considered supplying Iran with X-band radar systems. This technology would greatly improve Iran’s ability to detect and track incoming threats, such as low-flying drones and cruise missiles, and could help protect its air defense systems from advanced strikes.
It is unclear whether China ultimately went ahead with the transfer, but the assessment underscores Washington’s concern that Iran’s war is drawing in not only regional enemies but also global rivals willing to provide critical support, without direct military involvement, officials said.
The Defense Intelligence Agency did not respond to a request for comment. The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is using a spy satellite it privately bought from China’s Eighth Eye Co. to target American bases in the Middle East, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
A US intelligence review shows that Tehran has used satellite images provided by China, including during the ongoing conflict between Israeli and US forces, two US officials with knowledge of the matter said. Officials could not confirm that the image was provided by Earth Eye Co.
A Pentagon report on China’s military released in December said that as of 2024, commercial satellite companies based in China were involved in business transactions with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment – an unspecified survey of global security risks compiled by the intelligence community – warned that China is far ahead of other nations in its development of space-based capabilities.
“China has overtaken Russia as the main rival of the US in space. Beijing’s rapid deployment of space power puts it in a position to use space to advance its foreign policy goals, challenge US military superiority and technology in space, and project power around the world,” the report said.
The US intelligence community has also indicated that Beijing has considered transferring air defense systems to Iran, which may have been transferred to third countries to hide direct involvement, the two officials said. CNN reported last week that the intelligence community has discovered that China is preparing to deliver shoulder-fired missile systems known as MANPADs to Iran.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called reports that China might offer China new air defense systems “significant.”
“They’re trying to hide. China says, well, this is their private industry. We all know there’s no such thing as a private industry in China. Every company in China has to have its first loyalty to the Communist Party,” Warner. said Sunday “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asked Thursday about the intelligence assessment, said, “President Trump has a very strong and direct relationship with President Xi, and they’ve talked about that, and China has assured us that that’s not going to happen.”
Mr. Trump is expected to visit China next month for a high-level summit driven by a wide range of issues and strategic interests. Mr. Trump said he sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping asking him not to give Iran weapons in an interview that aired Wednesday on the Fox Business Network. Mr. Trump did not say when the letters would be changed.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, declined to answer questions about the letters mentioned by Mr. Trump, adding that China’s position on Iran is “open and above.”
“We adhere to impartiality and make efforts to promote peace talks,” said its spokesman Liu Pengyu in a statement. “We never engage in actions that inflame conflicts.”
Last week, Mr. Trump threatened countries with an immediate 50% tariff if they supply Iran with weapons. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Wednesday that media reports that Beijing had provided weapons to Tehran were “just made up,” and warned that any tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on that basis would be met with countermeasures.
