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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/18/china-russia-are-fueling-irans-war-machine/
China and Russia Are Keeping Iran Armed and Dangerous
(Washington Post) Bradley Bowman and Cameron McMillan - A significant reason for Iran's resilience, lethality and leverage is the growing support Tehran is receiving from China and Russia. When the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran in February, Russia provided Iran with valuable drone and intelligence support that strengthened its offensive capabilities. Russia has aided Iran's attacks by reportedly sharing drone tactics and technologies tested on the battlefield in Ukraine. In fact, the Islamic republic's prolific use of drone attacks targeting U.S. and partner forces has been one of Tehran's most potent tools throughout the war. On March 1, an Iranian drone struck a U.S. operations center in Kuwait, killing six American soldiers. Russia reportedly provided Iran with satellite imagery and other forms of intelligence to enable Iranian attacks on American military positions, likely improving Tehran's ability to target U.S. forces and high-value assets with drones and ballistic missiles. On July 17, three American soldiers were killed by an Iranian ballistic missile attack in Jordan. China has supplied Iran with chemicals which can be used to produce ammonium perchlorate, used in the solid-propellant rocket motors that power most ballistic missiles. Moreover, in 2024, the IRGC acquired a Chinese surveillance satellite previously launched by China, which Tehran has reportedly used to target U.S. forces. Bradley Bowman is senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Cameron McMillan is a senior research analyst.