Several mysterious cargo planes from China have flown near Iran’s airspace before disappearing from radar, raising concerns that Beijing may be covertly supporting the conflict, according to reports.
Public flight trackers revealed at least three Boeing 747 freighters—often used to transport military equipment and weapons—departing from Chinese cities on Saturday (the day after Israel struck Iran), Sunday, and Monday, according to The Telegraph.
Each plane flew west across northern China, crossed into Kazakhstan, then continued south through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan before vanishing from radar near Iran.
Although the flight plans indicated Luxembourg as the destination, none of the aircraft seemed to head towards Europe, The Telegraph further noted.
“These cargos cannot but generate a lot of interest because of the expectation that China might do something to help Iran,” Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer at the University of Exeter who specializes in China’s relations with the Middle East and North Africa, told the outlet.
Cargolux, the Luxembourg-based company operating the planes, told The Telegraph that their flights did not enter Iranian airspace but did not answer questions regarding the cargo.
China and Iran maintain a strategic partnership opposing the U.S.-led world order, with Beijing historically supplying Tehran with military equipment, including conventional arms and ballistic missile materials that could potentially be used in nuclear weapons development.
Since the 2000s, international sanctions have significantly reduced direct arms transfers, shifting the focus toward “dual-use” materials.
In return, Iran serves as a key energy supplier to China.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham discussed the mysterious flights on her Wednesday evening program:
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Her guest, Heritage Foundation expert Robert Greenway, a former National Security Council adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, said he believes that Iran could be using the planes to remove “regime valuables” and other materials to safe havens as the conflict with Israel continues.
On Thursday, Israel deployed 20 fighter jets on a mission to western Iran targeting missile batteries and other military installations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.
The Israeli military confirmed the successful destruction of multiple Iranian surface-to-surface missile sites and a convoy of trucks transporting additional missiles.
These strikes followed a ballistic missile attack by Iran that hit Soroka Hospital in southern Israel earlier that morning, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to vow retaliation.
A day earlier, President Trump seemed to be downplaying concerns that some of his long-time supporters are distancing themselves over the possibility that he might order a U.S. military strike on Iran.
The tension comes amid nearly a week of ongoing daily exchanges of fire between Israel—America’s closest ally in the Middle East—and Iran-backed forces.
“My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m more in love with them, more than they even were at election time,” the president said when asked about the rift.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday on the South Lawn of the White House, added: “I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now, but I have some people that are very happy, and I have people outside of the base that can’t believe that this is happening. They’re so happy.”
A reporter then asked Trump if he would order an attack on Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, leading Trump to respond: “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble.”