Iran Set to Receive Hundreds of Chinese Air-Defense Missiles

Iran is expected to receive within weeks the first shipment under a deal for 300 to 400 Chinese-made man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), according to three sources familiar with the agreement.

The $60m–$70m purchase includes QW-12 and FN-16 missiles designed to target low-flying aircraft, helicopters and drones. It is one of Tehran’s largest known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defenses since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel.

The agreement was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment, a Hong Kong-based company acting as an intermediary between Iran and the Chinese supplier, the sources said.

China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as “completely groundless”, while Pakistan’s military denied any involvement in transporting air-defense weapons from China to Iran.

Under the plan, the missiles would initially be flown from Urumqi in western China and transit through Pakistan, although the sources did not say whether the onward journey would be by air or road. Tehran has also explored more discreet overland routes, according to two Western intelligence sources and an Iranian official.

Portable air-defense systems can be rapidly deployed and moved between military installations, energy infrastructure and other sensitive sites, making them less vulnerable than fixed batteries.

(Reuters, Max)