Trump wants to preserve relations with Xi, but Iranian customs data show Chinese entities have made thousands of shipments of components used in drones and missiles

This summer, when the U.S. and Iran signed a temporary truce, China touted its role in easing tensions in the Middle East. It said its foreign ministry made dozens of calls to nudge peace along, and that President Xi Jinping himself had intervened with suggestions to end the fighting.

That same day, a plane from China landed in Tehran. It carried a shipment for Iran’s Ministry of Defense that included electronics components that can be used to make parts for drones and missile guidance systems, according to Iranian customs data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal. 

It was one of around 1,300 shipments that included “dual use” components from China to Iran’s defense ministry this year through the end of June, customs data show. Two days after the electronics components shipment, there were more than a dozen other shipments carrying parts worth more than $6 million that can be used in drones.

Xi is visiting President Trump in Washington this week for a summit that will cover weighty topics including trade, artificial-intelligence safety and relations with Taiwan. But the elephant in the room will be China’s continuing support for Iran. 

China has become the only major buyer of Iranian oil, despite U.S. sanctions meant to stop the flows, providing billions of dollars for Tehran this year. Chinese front companies help launder the funds, while Chinese banks route the transactions through the country’s financial.

Wall Street Journal, Rory Jones, Jon Emont, Vera Bergengruen and Summer Said