The national flags of China and Iran fly in Tiananmen Square during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Beijing, China, February 14, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter

China has denied transferring surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran as the Iranian regime seeks to rebuild its air defense systems, which were largely destroyed by Israel during their recent 12-day Middle Eastern conflict.

Citing Arab sources, the Middle East Eye news outlet reported last week that Iran purchased Chinese surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs), which are launched from the ground or sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles, as Tehran scrambles to rebuild its battered air defenses. Tehran reportedly began acquiring the batteries shortly after a US-brokered ceasefire ended the Israel-Iran war last month.

However, China’s embassy in Israel rejected the report in a statement.

“The embassy finds the contents of the report to be incorrect. As a matter of principle, China firmly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, and continuously strengthens its enforcement capabilities regarding non-proliferation,” the embassy told the Israel Hayom news outlet.

“China never exports weapons to countries engaged in warfare and maintains strict controls on the export of dual-use items,” the statement continued. “As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China upholds a cautious and responsible approach to the export of military-related goods.”

Last month, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and neutralizing what officials described as an imminent nuclear threat.

The US joined Israel’s airstrike campaign against Tehran by launching a large-scale military operation that destroyed three key nuclear enrichment facilities, including the heavily fortified Fordow site, ultimately leading to a US-brokered ceasefire.

The exact number of SAMs that Iran has reportedly received from China remains unclear, but sources told the Middle East Eye that the Islamist regime is paying Beijing for the systems with oil shipments. China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, with nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports going to Beijing.

China, a key diplomatic and economic backer of Tehran, has moved to deepen ties with the regime in recent years, signing a 25-year cooperation agreement, holding joint naval drills, and continuing to purchase Iranian oil despite US sanctions.

Iran’s growing ties with China come at a time when Tehran is facing increasing sanctions by the United States, particularly on its oil industry, as part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at cutting the country’s crude exports to zero and preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

For years, China has been importing significant volumes of Iranian oil, often using transshipment hubs like Malaysia to cover up the crude’s true origin.

Chinese officials have also consistently opposed Washington’s sanctions on Tehran and defended the country’s right to enrich uranium.

The reported Chinese military transfer comes at a time when Iran is in urgent need of international support. However, Iran’s supposed allies have largely held back more concrete and robust support despite the conflict with Israel, opting for cautious diplomacy rather than direct backing.

According to Jack Burnham, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, DC-based think tank, China’s capacity to offer Tehran support beyond diplomatic channels is limited by the country’s inability to effectively manage rapidly evolving crises.

“Having built the foundations of Iran’s missile program, Beijing can now only watch as it goes up in flames — incapable of projecting power on a scale that could tip the balance of power and wary of committing resources during a period of heightened tensions in its own region,” Burnham told The Algemeiner.

The post China Denies Report Saying It Transferred Air Defense Systems to Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

People walk near a mural of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 23, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran will react to any reimposition of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, without elaborating on what actions Tehran might take.

A French diplomatic source told Reuters last week that European powers would have to restore UN sanctions on Iran under the so-called “snapback mechanism” if there were no nuclear deal that guaranteed European security interests.

The “snapback mechanism” is a process that would reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran under a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted the measures in return for restrictions on Iran‘s nuclear program.

“The threat to use the snapback mechanism lacks legal and political basis and will be met with an appropriate and proportionate response from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference, without giving further details.

The 2015 deal with Britain, Germany, France, the US, Russia, and China – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – states that if the parties cannot resolve accusations of “significant non-performance” by Iran, the “snapback mechanism” process can be triggered by the 15-member UN Security Council.

“The European parties, who are constantly trying to use this possibility as a tool, have themselves committed gross and fundamental violations of their obligations under the JCPOA,” Baghaei said.

“They have failed to fulfill the duties they had undertaken under the JCPOA, so they have no legal or moral standing to resort to this mechanism.”

Western countries accuse Iran of plotting to build a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies.

The United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 under the first administration of President Donald Trump, who called the agreement “weak.”

Trump, whose second presidency began in January, has urged Tehran to return to nuclear negotiations on a new deal after a ceasefire was reached last month that ended a 12-day air war between Iran and Israel.

When asked if Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would meet with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, Baghaei said no date or location had been set for resuming the US-Iran nuclear talks.

The post Iran Warns It Will Respond to Reimposition of UN Sanctions first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Elmo joins Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians at Fleming Early Learning Center in Detroit on June 20, 2019 as a part of the Sesame Street Workshop national road trip. Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

The official X account that belongs to the beloved “Sesame Street” character Elmo was hacked on Sunday and began sharing expletive-filled antisemitic and racist posts.

“Kill all Jews” was one such message shared on the X account, which is verified and has over 649,000 followers.

“Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. F–k JEWS. DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU’S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED,” another post read, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“RELEASE THE FILES @realDonaldTrump CHILD F–KER,” a third post read, which seemed to reference documents related to the sex-trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The account also replied to several users who made similar offensive remarks, according to Fox News.

Elmo is a red, furry Muppet character on the longtime PBS children’s show “Sesame Street.” The racist and antisemitic posts and replies were deleted shortly after they were posted on Sunday afternoon, but not before screenshots were shared on social media.

Several US politicians commented on the posts shared on Elmo’s account.

“I’m forever scarred … by @elmo. Words I never expected to utter,” wrote Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). “See what happens when you defund PBS @elmo,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL.).

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aimed on pulling federal funding from PBS in May.

A spokesperson from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street,” confirmed to Fox News Digital that the account was hacked. “Elmo’s X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account,” the spokesperson said.

X has not commented on the incident.

The post Hacked Elmo X Account Shares ‘Kill All Jews,’ Other Antisemitic, Racist Posts first appeared on Algemeiner.com.