In a move that has set off international alarm bells, China has reportedly dispatched multiple military cargo planes to Iran just days after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory, according to tracking data obtained by The Telegraph.
The first aircraft, a Boeing 747 transport plane, took off from China on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Israeli attack on Iran. This was quickly followed by a second flight on Saturday from a coastal Chinese city, and a third on Monday, which departed from Shanghai.
What has raised eyebrows among military analysts and foreign policy experts alike is the peculiar flight route and the suspicious radar disappearance of the planes. According to open-source flight tracking data, the aircraft followed a path westward over northern China, passed through Kazakhstan, and then descended through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan before vanishing from radar screens—right as they entered Iranian airspace.
Though the filed flight plans listed Luxembourg as their final destination, none of the aircraft were seen approaching European airspace, casting serious doubt on the stated purpose of their missions.
Aviation and defense experts suggest that the Boeing 747s involved are typically used for transporting military hardware, hinting at a possible covert arms transfer or emergency military support from Beijing to Tehran amid the rapidly escalating regional crisis.
The move comes at a highly volatile moment in Middle Eastern geopolitics. Israel’s strikes on Iranian assets, reportedly in response to intelligence threats, have already rattled neighboring countries. China’s apparent involvement now adds a new layer of complexity—and potential confrontation—between global powers in the already fraught region.
While no official statement has yet been issued by Chinese, Iranian, or Israeli authorities regarding the nature of these flights, the implications are profound. Is China silently stepping into the Middle East battlefield, or merely conducting high-level strategic logistics?
As global observers watch the skies and diplomatic channels heat up, one thing is certain: something big is moving behind the curtains, and the world is only just beginning to catch a glimpse.