Are Russia and China Helping Iran’s War Effort?

United States President Donald Trump puzzled many analysts on October 12 by claiming that Russia and China are providing little or no meaningful assistance to Iran in its war with America.

“If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all,” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast!”

Yet U.S. officials—including members of Trump’s own administration—have acknowledged substantial levels of assistance that Iran has received from Russia and China in several ways. This acknowledgment has come in the form of Senate testimony, sanctions announcements and public warnings about the two countries’ support of Iran.

Eyes in the Skies

In the early weeks of the war, Iran struck U.S. military and intelligence assets across the Persian Gulf. These included missile-defense systems, radar and early-warning infrastructure, a structure at a naval base, a cia facility and a temporary command center. The strikes killed several U.S. troops.

Many analysts were surprised by the strikes’ precision and effectiveness, particularly since Iran’s small number of military-grade satellites falls far short of the network required for advanced imaging and targeting.

Russia, however, has more than 100 active military satellites. On March 6, three U.S. officials told the Washington Post that Moscow’s decision to share reconnaissance and targeting intelligence with Iran was the key factor enabling Iran’s precision strikes.

“The Russians are more than aware of the assistance that we’re giving the Ukrainians,” one of the officials familiar with Russia’s support of Iran was quoted as saying. “I think they were very happy to try to get some payback.”

Reuters reported separately that a Russian satellite photographed Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base days before an Iranian missile destroyed a U.S. E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft stationed there.

China’s contribution emerged more publicly. On April 6, U.S. intelligence officials said Iran was using satellite imagery published by MizarVision, a Chinese geospatial intelligence company. The company’s artificial intelligence-enhanced images identified U.S. aircraft, Patriot air defense systems and other military assets at American bases.

The next month, the U.S. sanctioned three Chinese companies for providing this imagery to Iran. In September, U.S. officials said imagery that Iran obtained from Chinese entities had enabled the July 17 missile attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which killed three U.S. soldiers.

Weapons of War

Russia’s support for Iran appears to extend well beyond sharing satellite imagery. On March 25, the Financial Times reported that Moscow was nearing completion of a phased shipment of upgraded attack drones to Iran, with deliveries expected by the end of the month.

Then last month, the paper revealed a far more ambitious undertaking: a secret Russian program, launched in 2023, to help Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles that could threaten U.S. warships in the Middle East. As part of the program, Russian missile specialists advised Iranian engineers on ramjet propulsion, analyzed Iran’s flight-test results, and helped troubleshoot the technology. The cooperation continued into June 2026, even as war raged between Iran and the U.S.-Israel alliance.

China’s role has been less about publicly acknowledged weapons transfers than supplying the components and technology that keep Iran’s military capabilities growing.

In September, the Wall Street Journal pointed to customs records showing roughly 1,300 shipments of dual-use goods from China to Iran’s Defense Ministry during the first half of 2026. The shipments included gps equipment, electric motors and aircraft-engine parts, with many arriving in Iran from China by air.

Chinese suppliers have also provided Iran with components and materials to build its missiles and drones, helping fuel the expansion of its arsenal. The quantity of a single Chinese shipment of sodium perchlorate to Iran in early April was “enough for hundreds of ballistic missiles,” according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Chinese organizations were also involved in a scheme to supply Iran with hundreds of shoulder-fired air defense systems. A Belarus-based middleman helped facilitate the shipment, prompting sanctions from the Trump administration in June.

Then, last week, a new report revealed that Iran-backed Houthi rebels were acquiring Chinese-supplied components to manufacture their own version of Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided ballistic missile. With a range of roughly 1,200 miles, the weapon could place all of Saudi Arabia and Israel in striking distance.

https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/2110192114810196439

Financial lifeline

Waging a military campaign requires enormous resources, and China has been instrumental in keeping Iran’s war chest funded.

In April, the U.S. Treasury Department reported that China’s small “teapot” refineries buy the bulk of Iran’s oil since they attract less scrutiny than the state-owned giants. They are a “vital source of revenue” for Iran’s regime and armed forces, the Treasury noted. Such refineries bought more than 80 percent of the oil Iran shipped last year, according to Kpler data, which equated to some 1.4 million barrels per day. In exchange for these transfers, China gave Iran up to $2.5 billion in credit for Chinese goods.

Since July, a U.S. naval blockade has sharply reduced China-Iran trade. But this was because America squeezed the lifeline—not because China voluntarily cut it. And the Chinese continue to buy Iranian oil that was previously out at sea beyond the blockade.

Iran Will Endure

Despite President Trump’s claims, the support that Russia and China have given and continue to give Iran is far from insignificant. Strategic assistance from these two Asian giants has not been enough to fundamentally alter Iran’s military position, but it has helped the regime withstand pressure, and it allows Iran to remain extremely capable and threatening even as its military capabilities are degraded. This backing also strengthens the Iranian regime’s hand in negotiations, making it harder to force Iran to bargain from a position of acute weakness.

This support complicates U.S. strategy because it means Iran is far from isolated. It is backed by the world’s second- and third-most powerful militaries. That makes Iran harder to degrade over the long term, meaning the cost of fully neutralizing it—were the U.S. to conjure the will for such an attempt—is significantly higher.

However the Iran war progresses, we can be confident that—whether because of Russian and Chinese backing or other factors—it will not end with the destruction of Iran’s current regime. We can be certain about this because of biblical prophecy.

As theTrumpet.com senior editor Joel Hilliker wrote at the war’s outset:

It is unclear exactly how this situation will play out. Often events take turns very different from what we expect. But biblical prophecy is clear about the outcome. [A]s much as one may wish to see the demise of this violent, oppressive regime, somehow Iran is going to preserve its considerable power—as well as its extremist temperament and aspirations.

To understand the details of these prophecies, read “Is Iran’s Regime Finished?”