Overview

• Iran has taken possession of Chinese HHQ-9B surface-to-air missile batteries delivered under an oil-for-arms arrangement to replace systems destroyed by Israel.
• The barter deal channels nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports to Beijing in return for the advanced air-defence systems.
• The White House and key US Arab allies have been briefed on Tehran’s missile acquisitions and are monitoring the buildup.
• Arriving days after a de facto ceasefire on June 24, the shipments underscore a rapid post-conflict replenishment of Iran’s air-defence network.
• The deliveries build on decades of Sino-Iran military cooperation, from HY-2 Silkworm missiles in the 1980s to HQ-9 batteries in 2010.