Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (中芯, SMIC), China’s largest chipmaker, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran’s military, two senior US officials said on Thursday, raising questions about Beijing’s stance in the month-old US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
SMIC, which has been heavily sanctioned by the US government over alleged ties to the Chinese military, began sending the tools to Iran about a year ago and “we have no reason to believe that any of this has stopped,” an official said.
The official added that the collaboration “almost certainly included technical training on SMIC’s semiconductor technology.”
Photo: Reuters
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss previously undisclosed US government information. They did not specify whether the tools were of US origin, which would likely make shipment to Iran a violation of US sanctions.
The Chinese government maintains that it carries out normal commercial trade with Iran. SMIC, which was added to a trade blacklist in 2020 that restricts its access to US exports, has denied allegations that it has ties to the Chinese military-industrial complex.
China has not publicly taken a side in the Middle East conflict. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) this week called on the parties to seize all opportunities to start peace talks as soon as possible.
The allegations threaten to heighten tensions between Washington and Beijing as the US wages war against Tehran and as it has sought to choke off China’s advanced chip industry.
It was reported last month that Iran was close to a deal with China on the purchase of anti-ship cruise missiles, just as the US deployed a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of strikes on the Islamic Republic.
It was not immediately clear what, if any, role the chipmaking tools have played in Iran’s response to the war, which was launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28 and has roiled financial markets, triggered a surge in oil prices and fueled global inflation fears.
One of the officials said the tools have been provided to Iran’s “military industrial complex” and could be used for any electronics that require chips.
Washington has sought to curtail China’s ability to make advanced semiconductors through sanctions on SMIC and other Chinese chipmakers, aiming to limit their access to advanced chipmaking equipment from top US suppliers such as Lam Research, KLA and Applied Materials. The administration under former US president Joe Biden tightened restrictions on SMIC in 2024, cutting off its most advanced factory from more US imports after it produced a sophisticated chip for Huawei’s (華為) Mate 60 Pro phone.
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