The US intelligence has information that China may be preparing to provide Iran with financial assistance and transfer spare parts and components for missiles.
CNN reports this, citing three sources.
The media notes that China has so far been reluctant to intervene in the war in the Middle East. The country is heavily dependent on Iranian oil and is pressuring Tehran to ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"China is more cautious in its support for Iran. It wants the war to end because it threatens its energy supplies," said one informed source.
CNN reached out to the CIA and the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment, but the Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment on the information.
Earlier, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters that Russia and China were supposedly “not factors” in the war with Iran. At the same time, according to CNN sources, Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on the location and movement of American troops, ships, and aircraft in the Middle East. The Washington Post also reported this earlier.
The US intelligence believes that this is confirmed by Iranʼs attacks on temporary US military facilities in the Persian Gulf countries. For example, on March 1, Iran attacked a US military facility in Kuwait with a strike drone. Six people were killed then, CNN reports.
War in the Middle East
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The Israelis called the operation “Lion’s Roar”, the United States called it “Epic Fury”. The attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and nearly 40 other senior Iranian officials.
Iran responded by attacking American bases in the Persian Gulf countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. Iran also attacked Israel with ballistic missiles. Some Iranian drones and missiles targeted infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries. For example, an Iranian drone struck the largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. A fire broke out there, and the plant suspended operations.
Israel also attacked the Lebanese pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which retaliated and launched a ground operation.
As of the morning of March 4, 870 people were known to have died, 787 of them in Iran. The US says it attacked 2 000 sites, using 5 000 troops and B-2 stealth bombers. In response, Iran launched 500 ballistic missiles and 2 000 drones.
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