Following the aggressive Israeli war against Iran, Tehran is importing air defenses from China and paying Beijing in oil.

“Iran has taken possession of Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries as Tehran rapidly moves to rebuild defenses destroyed by Israel during their recent 12-day conflict,” Middle East Eye reports. “The officials did not say how many surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, Iran had received from China since the end of the fighting. However, one of the Arab officials said that Iran was paying for the SAMs with oil shipments.”

Israel started the war with a surprise attack on June 13 and disabled much of Iran’s air defenses. While Tehran was able to reestablish some air defense systems, Israel had a significant ability to operate in the skies above Iran throughout the 12-day conflict.

While Washington has attempted to isolate Tehran economically and politically, Beijing has continued to develop its relationship with the Islamic Republic. China has ignored the US’s extensive economic war on Iran and buys 90% of Tehran’s oil exports.

Iran has joined major non-Western economic blocs such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In 2021, Beijing and Tehran signed a 25-year, $400 billion investment agreement.

Israeli and US officials have said that they are prepared to resume the war on Iran if there is evidence that Tehran restarts its nuclear program. Iran is not attempting to build a bomb, and prior to the Israeli war, had a civilian nuclear program subject to strict examinations by international inspectors.