Arab Defense website – August 19, 2025: Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that China has contributed to the rebuilding of Iranian missile capabilities after the recent confrontations with Israel. Despite Beijing’s denial of these reports, European intelligence conclusions spoke of close cooperation between the two parties, which some consider a serious security challenge.
The relationship between Tehran and Beijing was not an ordinary day, as it is part of a network of interests that extend from the Strait of Hormuz to the South China Sea. However, regional tensions and international pressure on Iran prompted this relationship to shift from an economic nature to a more dangerous field, related to weapons and defense.
Israeli reports reported by Yediot Aharonot indicated increasing military cooperation between Iran and China, which includes technical assistance to rebuild the Iranian defense system that was drained during the confrontations with Israel. For its part, China has completely denied these reports, confirming that it does not issue arms to countries that participate in armed conflicts, and that it imposes strict control over exports of materials with military use.
However, European intelligence services have spoken of secret deals that include advanced surface-to-air missiles and radar devices against Iranian oil. Washington’s Israeli ambassador did not hide his concern, pointing out that Beijing may help Tehran to rebuild its missile arsenal, which Tel Aviv considered a strategic threat to the deterrent equation. As a result, the Israeli Ministry of Defense rushed to expand its readiness, from developing the protest systems to investing in long -term laser and radar technology, in a move that suggests a long -term proactive battle with a discount that rearranges its papers for a possible confrontation at any time.
Iranian military experts explained that Iran did not officially deny this information, but it also did not confirm it. Experts pointed out that this information began to appear after the end of the recent confrontation with Israel and the United States, and that the discussion about it was wide inside the Iranian interior, despite the lack of indications of using new weapons in the field, whether they were planes, artillery or anti -ground.
Experts emphasized that the current stage focuses on rebuilding the missile capabilities targeted by Israeli strikes, noting that the war revealed weaknesses at some levels of Iranian military power, which prompted Tehran to work to bridge security and military gaps, especially in the areas of missile power, air defense and aviation.
They also referred to the visit of the Iranian Defense Minister to Beijing on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai organization three days after the June war, amid speculation that Iran had asked China military equipment that includes missiles, anti -ground and possibly Chinese planes, although this information was not officially confirmed.
On the Israeli anxiety, experts stated that the Iranian missile force has been manufactured locally for more than 20 years, and that Iran is able to develop and strengthen it, including the Rastajz missile, which is said to have a destructive ability to close nuclear power in terms of targeting and sabotage. They added that the aim of these capabilities is not only the attack, but also deterrence, especially with Israeli statements about the possibility of launching a new war on Iran if Tehran does not stop strengthening its nuclear arsenal.
Experts pointed to the proactive measures taken by Tehran after the war, including strengthening the food stock and defense preparations, and installing warning systems in major cities, to be ready to respond to any possible attack. The Iranian Chiefs of Staff confirmed its willingness to counter any threat to stronger strikes than it carried out during the June war.
Iran is heading to buy Chinese J-10 fighters?
Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasseri Zadeh conducted his first official visit to China, one day after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which sparked widespread controversy over Iran’s tendency to strengthen its air forces. Pictures of Nasri Zadeh were spread on social media platforms, in the cabin of the Chinese J-10Ce fighter, which sparked speculation about the possibility of Tehran’s endeavor to obtain these modern fighters to compensate for the decline in its capabilities during the recent confrontations with Israel.
These moves came after Iran failed to confront Israeli raids during a 12 -day war, as the Israeli army announced that its fighters carried out accurate strikes on vital military infrastructure inside Iranian territory, including radar systems and air defense networks, without confronting effective resistance. The majority of Iranian combat aircraft are old and are located within previous generations, which reflects the weak combat capacity of the Iranian Air Force.
The Iranian army has a varied fleet of aircraft, including three copies of F-4 Phantom 2 with a total of 63 aircraft, in addition to 41 F-14 aircraft and 35 F-5E aircraft, along with Mig-29A aircraft and Mirage F1 and a number of Chinese and other Russian aircraft. Iran also relies on local fighters such as Kawthar, Azrakash and Saja, and Russian Yak-130 training aircraft, but the outline of external support for more than forty years has limited its effectiveness, and made it vulnerable to retreat, especially after the successful Israeli and American air strikes on strategic locations.
Before the outbreak of the recent conflict, Tehran had began attempts to update its air defensive capabilities. Reports between 2023 and 2024 indicated that Iran signed a deal with Russia to buy the Su-35 fighters, but the delivery was delayed against the background of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Moscow does not link it to Iran any security treaty, and reports revealed Iran’s rejection of previous joint air defense projects with Russia.
With this reality, Iran appears to have directed its attention to China, where the J-10 Vigorous Dragon fighter is produced by Chengdu multi-task and one engine, at a top speed of up to 1.8 Mach, designed for air fighting tasks and land attacks. The Pakistani Air Force used the J-10CE version during the clashes with India in May 2025, and was able to drop the French Rafale fighters, reflecting the capabilities of these aircraft at the combat level.
In the event that Iran concludes a deal to obtain these fighters, it will witness a qualitative shift in its weather capabilities, and it may be able to repel future Israeli attacks, especially with regard to Israeli fuel aircraft, which are a vital component to support the operations of fighters for a long time.
Despite this possible progress, Iran’s greatest challenge is to update the military infrastructure to accommodate these advanced aircraft, a complex operation that requires large resources and long -term plans, according to military experts, to ensure that this new air force is effective in facing future Israeli threats.
The article appeared Chinese-Iranian cooperation in the military field that raises Israel’s concern first on the Arab defense site.
