Communist China is reportedly providing military assistance to the embattled Iranian regime, according to a leading U.S. military think tank and other reporting. 

The Institute for the Study of War stated that China is providing military assistance to the Iranian regime’s missile program, basing its research on recent reporting.

According to the Institute, «China is helping Iran reconstitute the Iranian missile program amid US-Israeli efforts to degrade it.»

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According to the Institute for the Study of War, «Western media reported that China has sent multiple shipments of missile fuel precursor to Iran since the start of the war.»

The institute said that, «China’s efforts to help Iran reconstitute could undermine the combined force efforts to degrade or destroy the supporting elements of the ballistic missile program.»

Gordon Chang, an expert on China, told Fox News Digital that «China is an enemy combatant and is endangering our troops.»

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that, «Ships believed to be carrying Chinese chemicals for missile fuel have arrived in Iran, raising questions about Beijing’s support for the regime. Four sanctioned Iran-flagged vessels have docked at Iranian ports since the war broke out.»

The report also claimed that, «Sanctioned vessels carrying enough chemicals to produce hundreds of projectiles travel from Chinese to Iranian ports.»

Chang urged the U.S. to seize the Chinese vessels that are reportedly transporting sodium perchlorate, the chemical material required for Iran’s missile fuel systems. He added that «It is a question of America’s will to impose costs on China.»

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with the late Supreme Leader of Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, Iran on January 23, 2016. (Pool / Supreme Leader Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Chang concluded by noting that the «President of the U.S. has many points of leverage. If you look at the overall relationship between China and the U.S., the U.S. has more cards to play.» He cited the U.S.-China trade relationship because China is an export-driven country and depends on the vital American consumer market.

The Islamic Republic’s military forces have reportedly been feverishly working to rebuild their missile apparatus after punishing U.S. and Israeli airstrikes since the start of the war on Feb. 28.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, «Iran has been digging out underground missile bunkers and silos struck by the combined force, in some cases returning them to operation hours after strikes, according to recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Iran may be reestablishing access to their launchers hours after strikes, but these launchers are components of a larger system that has been degraded. Reported fear and lack of coordination across some Iranian forces mean that medium-range missile systems are still functioning sub-optimally.»

Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv, Israel, June 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Tomer Neuberg)

Chinese companies have been sanctioned as part of busting U.S. restrictions on providing military aid to Iran’s regime. In 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had «designated one individual and six entities in a sanctions’ evasion network that has facilitated Iran’s procurement of electronic components for its destabilizing military programs, including those used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Particularly, this action targets the head of U.S.-designated Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), and the entity’s Iran-, Malaysia-, Hong Kong, and PRC-based front companies[People’s Republic of China] and suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology.»

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Just last month, a report by the Atlantic Council noted «China has supplied Iran with drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, and the components thereof, to aid in its aerial and maritime defense capabilities. In other instances, China directly supplies Iran with Western or Chinese technology components that are found in Iranian drones used against US military installations and economic interests in the Gulf, as well as on Russia’s battlefield in Ukraine.»

Fox News Digital press queries to China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were not immediately returned.

Un complejo petroquímico de gran escala y la planta de aluminio más importante de Irán resultaron afectados por ataques aéreos que generaron incendios y daños en las instalaciones, según reportaron medios estatales y agencias alineadas al régimen.

El complejo Fajr, en la ciudad de Mahshahr, recibió el impacto en una de las instalaciones operadas por la empresa Amirkabir Petrochemical Company. De manera paralela, la planta de aluminio de Arak, considerada la mayor en producción del país, también fue blanco de un ataque que provocó un incendio de grandes proporciones.

Imágenes difundidas por los canales oficiales del régimen mostraron columnas de humo y llamas en el complejo de Arak, aunque el régimen evitó precisar la magnitud de los daños y el alcance sobre la capacidad productiva.

Fuentes de la provincia de Juzestán confirmaron que el golpe contra la infraestructura petroquímica afectó directamente la operación de la planta en Mahshahr, sin ofrecer detalles sobre víctimas o el estado de las instalaciones tras el incidente.

Las agencias vinculadas al régimen difundieron que estos ataques ocurrieron en la antesala del vencimiento del ultimátum dado por el presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, para la reapertura del estrecho de Ormuz.

“El martes será el Día de la Central Eléctrica y el Día del Puente, todo en uno, en Irán”, dijo Trump en alusión a posibles acciones coordinadas contra puntos neurálgicos de la infraestructura nacional.

En medio de la escalada verbal, un portavoz militar iraní, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, envió un mensaje de advertencia sobre posibles represalias a intereses de potencias extranjeras en la región.

“Haremos a la infraestructura de Estados Unidos y sus aliados algo que les impedirá acceder al petróleo y gas de la zona durante años y les forzará a retirarse”, afirmó Zolfaghari a través de un comunicado difundido por una agencia semi-oficial.

El portavoz aseguró que las fuerzas armadas iraníes utilizaron misiles balísticos, de crucero y drones para atacar objetivos de Estados Unidos e Israel en distintas ciudades del Medio Oriente, y enumeró más de 30 ubicaciones impactadas en áreas centrales y del sur de Israel.

El régimen de Teherán insiste en que la infraestructura básica y energética está bajo vigilancia de sus servicios de inteligencia y que todas las medidas de protección han sido planeadas al detalle.

El primer vicepresidente, Mohamad Reza Aref, afirmó en redes sociales: “Ninguna amenaza escapa a nuestra preparación y a nuestros servicios de inteligencia. La seguridad nacional y la sostenibilidad de las infraestructuras son objeto de cálculos precisos”.

El contexto de los ataques ocurre mientras la comunidad internacional sigue de cerca las negociaciones sobre un posible alto el fuego. Pakistán intervino como mediador y presentó una propuesta de cese de hostilidades por dos semanas, según fuentes diplomáticas.

El primer ministro paquistaní, Shehbaz Sharif, instó públicamente a extender los plazos y mantener abierta la vía diplomática, aunque tanto Washington como Teherán mantienen posturas firmes y exigen garantías sobre el futuro del estrecho de Ormuz.

En días pasados, el régimen iraní había rechazado cualquier tregua temporal y condicionó el acuerdo a un fin definitivo de la ofensiva militar, la retirada de fuerzas extranjeras y el levantamiento de sanciones internacionales.

La situación en Irán sigue marcada por daños recurrentes a instalaciones industriales y energéticas, con la planta de aluminio de Arak y el complejo petroquímico de Mahshahr entre los activos más afectados por los recientes ataques.

Las agencias estatales del régimen insisten en que la defensa y la reparación de estos puntos estratégicos son prioritarias, mientras la tensión en la región continúa elevada y la incertidumbre por la seguridad de las rutas energéticas globales se mantiene sin resolverse.

(Con información de EFE, Reuters y AFP)

A Democratic candidate is facing scrutiny over an apparent reversal on the southern border as she seeks to flip a battleground House seat this year.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti recently criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border, calling it «a huge misstep» and «really terrible» during a March podcast appearance.

The House hopeful, however, did not appear to publicly criticize the administration’s border policies when Biden was president.

Cognetti, who has served as the mayor of Biden’s hometown since 2020, is vying to unseat freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan in November’s midterm elections. The Northeastern Pennsylvania contest promises to be one of the most competitive House elections this year.

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Cognetti’s recent messaging criticizing Biden comes as some Democrats have largely pivoted toward the center on border security after the party’s messaging fell flat in 2024.

When Cognetti called for «better control at our borders» during a September 2021 interview with a local outlet, she did not appear to hold the Biden administration responsible for the problem.

In August 2023, Cognetti co-signed a letter with a handful of Pennsylvania mayors appearing to approve of the Biden administration’s approach to the border.

«You are working to bring more order to the southern border with a combination of strategies,» the group wrote to Biden, adding that he had «rightfully promised» to tie border security with expanding pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in the United States. 

A spokesperson for Cognetti said the mayor had been consistent in urging Biden to secure the border during his presidency.

«Like a lot of Northeastern Pennsylvanians, she has seen what the scourge of Fentanyl has done to our community and has said that President Biden didn’t do enough to secure the southern border,» the spokeswoman said, adding that Cognetti is «no stranger to calling out politicians from either political party when they get it wrong.»

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Scranton, Pennsylvania mayor Paige Cognetti speaks at a Safer America rally. President Joe Biden visited Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to discuss his plan to reform gun control. During his speech, he touted beating the NRA. Biden is visiting cities for his Safer America plan. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Cognetti also advocated for a more lenient approach to immigration when Biden was president, arguing immigrants, including those who entered the U.S. illegally, «contribute greatly to our cultural and economic growth.»

The 2023 letter to Biden that Cognetti signed urged the president to grant and expand legal protections to Venezuelan, Honduran, Salvadoran and Nicaraguan nationals living in the United States.

Cognetti, who became mayor in 2020, also called for mass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants during the onset of Biden’s presidency in July 2021. She warned that failure to deliver pathways to citizenship could become a «national security issue,» The Center Square reported.

«If we don’t do this now, we will start to erode in our strength and that becomes a national security issue,» Cognetti told reporters.

Bresnahan said Cognetti’s support for mass amnesty would make the district less safe and accused her mayoral tenure of resulting in a Scranton crime spike in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

«Mayor Paige Cognetti’s soft-on-crime policies have already led to a spike in violence in Scranton, and her support for legalizing every illegal immigrant in the country will only make things worse, especially in her city where she downplays homicides and gang violence and wants to disarm the police,» Bresnahan said.

Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., arrives for a House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

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A spokesperson for Cognetti fired back that the mayor has a «proven track record» of investing in local law enforcement and said she has overseen a decrease in violent crime. 

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the swing contest as «Lean Republican.»