China sent Iran 1,300 shipments for drones, missiles in 2026: report
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China has sent approximately 1,300 air shipments of dual-use components suitable for drones and missiles to Iran’s Defense Ministry in the first half of 2026, according to Iranian customs data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The shipments, covering the period through the end of June, included electronics, GPS devices, electric motors, aircraft-engine parts and other items with both civilian and military applications.
These components can support Iran’s drone programs and missile guidance systems.
Records spanning January 2025 to June 2026 show thousands of similar deliveries to the Defense Ministry and Iranian companies, many designated under Iranian regulations that exempt defense imports from tariffs.
One notable delivery arrived in Tehran on June 17, the same day the United States and Iran agreed to a 60-day truce.
Two days later, more than a dozen additional shipments landed carrying over $6 million worth of parts usable in drones.
Chinese suppliers also delivered about 300 tonnes of chemical compounds to the ministry shortly before the conflict began in late February.
The flow of goods intensified after US naval restrictions limited Iran’s maritime trade.
Sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air sharply expanded flights from Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Service rose from about four weekly flights in early March to roughly 27 by late April, reaching 39 flights in the first week of September—nearly double prewar levels—with many focused on cargo rather than passengers.
Kate Koren, deputy director of the economics program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Journal that some of the traded components are known to be used in Iran’s Shahed drones.
A forthcoming CSIS assessment identified Chinese companies publicly advertising sensitive electronics this year, and Chinese firms have also supplied materials such as sodium perchlorate usable in ballistic-missile propellant.
The revelations come as Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.
US officials have noted that Chinese banks and front companies have helped Iran evade sanctions and sustain revenue, while critics including Sen. Elissa Slotkin have urged stronger action, writing that “there is now a large and growing body of evidence that Chinese companies are helping Iran target and kill American troops, keep Iran’s drone and missile programs alive, and sustain Iran’s economy.”
