China has sent about 1,300 air shipments with parts that can be used for drones and missiles over the course of the year, which has been largely marked by the country's war with the U.S., according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal detailed that one shipment arrived in the country on June 17 and contained "dual-use" technology for the two weapons. Other ones include GPS devices, electric motors and aircraft engine parts.
The report went on to detail that cargo flights from China to Iran have surged over the past months, helping Tehran get key equipment to maintain hostilities as Washington maintains its blockade of the country's ports.
Mahan Air, an Iranian airline sanctioned by the U.S., increased flights to China after the war began and was operating over two dozen ones by late April.
Washington and Tehran continue exchange in the meantime, even as officials from both countries also met in the U.S. on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian challenged the U.S. during his address to the UNGA, saying the country "seeks no one's permission to defend itself."
During his address, Pezeshkian also claimed the country is not looking to obtain nuclear weapons and framed the country's actions during the war as defensive.
"We only seek to live independently," the president claimed. "We need strength to be able to defend ourselves" and "don't seek anyone's permission to defend our country."
Earlier, Iran said President Donald Trump's most recent threats against the country if a deal to end the war is not reached soon are a sign of "strategic desperation."
Iran's General Staff said that "such words demonstrate America's strategic dead end in its aggression against the Iranian nation, and the repetition of baseless claims and threats, given the exhaustion of the U.S. military, is not a sign of power but a sign of their strategic desperation."
In a statement published in the country's semi-official news agency Merh, the force added that the threats are also a tool for domestic propaganda rather than something based on realities on the ground.
Trump said on Tuesday that U.S. and Iran officials met for three hours to discuss whether it is possible to end hostilities. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the Trump administration, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Tehran delegation.
Secretary of State of State Marco Rubio also claimed that discussions were positive, but were not a major breakthrough, adding that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is an impediment to any deal.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, on his end, said the meeting focused on Iran's terms to revive diplomacy. They include an end to the U.S. blockade, all wars in the region and the release of frozen or restricted assets, as well as its control of the Strait of Hormuz.
