U.S.–China–Iran Conflict

U.S. intelligence agencies have recently reported signs that China is weighing providing Iran with more advanced radar and air-defense systems, a development being tracked closely in 2026 as Beijing, Moscow and Tehran deepen military and intelligence cooperation. The warnings center on systems such as X-band radars that, if supplied, could detect low-observable aircraft like the F-35 and B-2 at ranges up to about 700 km, materially bolstering Iran's ability to contest U.S. and Israeli air operations. The potential transfer comes amid long-standing ties between China and Iran — Beijing now buys roughly 90 percent of Iran's exported oil, supplying tens of billions of dollars annually that underwrite Tehran's economy and military procurement — and a history of Chinese transfers of missile and drone technologies dating back to the 1980s.