US Intelligence Reveals Chinese Firms Plotting Secret Arms Sales to Iran Including MANPADs

US intelligence indicates Chinese companies and Iranian officials have discussed secret arms transfers, plotting to ship weapons through third countries to mask their origins, according to US officials cited in reporting on May 13. The systems Beijing is preparing to transfer include shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems (MANPADs) which posed an asymmetric threat to low-flying US military aircraft during the five-week war. The Chinese Embassy denied providing weapons to any party to the conflict.