The Role of China and Russia in the Iran War

Iran’s growing centrality on the Middle Eastern geopolitical stage, particularly in the context of recent military escalations, has highlighted the importance of indirect—and at times strategic—support from powers such as China and Russia. Amid tensions involving Iran, Israel, and Western allies, a network of cooperation is taking shape that transcends the diplomatic sphere, extending into military, technological, and energy dimensions. This dynamic is part of a broader context of challenge to the U.S.-led liberal international order, in which Beijing and Moscow operate as strategic counterweights, strengthening regional actors that share converging interests. In this scenario, military support and the supply of critical inputs, such as missile fuel, emerge as central elements for understanding the Sino-Russian role in strengthening Iranian capabilities.

With regard to military support, recent evidence points to an intensification of cooperation between Iran, China, and Russia on multiple levels. According to statements by Iranian officials, both countries have expanded military cooperation with Tehran, including technology transfer, training, and strategic exchanges. Reports indicate that Russia, in particular, has played a more active role in supplying military equipment and know-how, partly as an extension of its own partnership with Iran in the context of the war in Ukraine. China, meanwhile, although more cautious in terms of direct involvement, has contributed logistical and technological support, in addition to maintaining channels of military cooperation that date back decades. This joint action suggests not only a convergence of interests but also a functional division of roles between Moscow and Beijing in strengthening Iran’s defensive and offensive capabilities.

Furthermore, Sino-Russian military cooperation with Iran must be understood in the context of a broader process of strategic integration among these three countries. Joint military exercises, defense agreements, and partnerships in emerging technologies—such as drones and missile systems—strengthen Iran’s ability to project power regionally. According to recent analyses, this cooperation has allowed Iran to circumvent international sanctions and develop a more autonomous military industrial base. At the same time, Russia and China benefit by strengthening an ally that acts as a vehicle for exerting pressure against Western interests in the Middle East, creating a relationship of strategic interdependence that challenges the regional balance of power.

With regard to the shipment of missile propellants, this aspect reveals a less visible yet crucial dimension of external support for Iran. Recent investigations and analyses suggest that both China and Russia have contributed, directly or indirectly, to the supply of chemical components and propellants necessary for the propulsion of Iranian missiles. These inputs, often classified as dual-use (civilian and military), are essential for the operation of ballistic missile arsenals and have been subject to monitoring by international agencies. The complexity of supply chains and the use of intermediaries make it difficult to trace these transfers, allowing such flows to occur outside the scope of sanctions regimes.

Furthermore, the supply of these fuels is part of a broader strategy to sustain Iran’s deterrent capabilities. By ensuring continuous access to critical inputs, China and Russia contribute to the maintenance and eventual expansion of Iran’s missile program, considered one of the most advanced in the region. This support, though often indirect, has significant implications for regional security, as it expands the range and effectiveness of Iran’s military capabilities. In a context of growing instability, the role of these material flows becomes essential to understanding not only the resilience of Iran’s military apparatus but also the depth of Sino-Russian engagement in contemporary conflict dynamics.

Russia and China’s support for Iran, in the context of the conflict with Israel and the United States, extends beyond the diplomatic sphere, as evidenced not only by their condemnation of military actions and the assassination of Supreme Leader Khamenei, but also by indirect forms of strategic cooperation. Seeking to neutralize Western capabilities for electronic interception and jamming, Moscow and Beijing have become Iran’s “technological anchors” by supplying heavy military equipment, imaging and satellite technologies, and long-range radars.

Russian assistance to Iran is explained by the history of bilateral cooperation on nuclear energy and Iran’s strategic importance to the North-South International Transport Corridor, which connects Russia to Indian Ocean markets via the Caspian Sea and Iran’s rail and port infrastructure. In January 2025, the two countries signed a Comprehensive Iran-Russia Strategic Partnership Agreement as part of an initiative to promote the establishment of a multipolar international order, aiming for joint coordination in the areas of defense, intelligence, counterterrorism, trade, energy, finance, and other economic sectors. Amid the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, Russia has focused its efforts on strategic deterrence capabilities, including the deployment of the Kanopus-V satellite to monitor specific U.S. and Israeli bases; the delivery of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, designed to identify low-observable aircraft; the provision of air defense systems against attacks from the West; and, finally, the supply of the Rezonans-NE radar for tracking stealth targets and long-range ballistic missiles.

For its part, China’s engagement with Iran is driven by economic and energy considerations, owing to Iran’s strategic location—which offers a land-based alternative to the New Silk Road in the face of maritime bottlenecks—as well as discounted Iranian oil exports to China. In 2021, the signing of a 25-year bilateral strategic cooperation pact between China and Iran was announced, providing for reciprocal investments in the transportation, ports, energy, industry, and services sectors. To assist Iran’s defense, China has provided intelligence support and guidance aimed at enhancing Tehran’s precision strike capabilities, through granting access to the Chinese BeiDou -3 navigation system, providing high-precision encrypted military signals, sharing real-time satellite information, exporting CM-302 supersonic missiles, and supplying advanced anti-stealth radars (YCL-8B).

From China’s perspective, the fall of the Iranian regime and the rise of a U.S.-aligned government would pose an obstacle to China’s interests in the region, whereas Iran’s weakening in the postwar period would result in a more dependent Tehran. Furthermore, Beijing views the conflict as an opportunity to take control of Taiwan while the United States focuses its efforts on the Middle East, creating vulnerabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. For Russia, a beneficiary of the war due to rising oil prices, the conflict serves as a convenient means to alleviate the global supply crisis, leading to Russia’s highest fuel-related revenue since 2022. Furthermore, U.S. efforts concentrated on Iran signal reduced U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine, which aligns with Russian interests.