Russia and China are going to militarily support Iran, significantly [View all]

Under a €500 million deal, Moscow commited to supplying Tehran with 500 Verba man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) launchers and 2,500 9M336 missiles between 2027 and 2029. The agreement was signed in Moscow in December 2025 between Russia’s state arms exporter and Iran’s Ministry of Defense.

27 February 2026
China has sent attack drones to Iran, as it discusses ballistic missile sales
China is stepping up support for Iran as US strikes loom, and warning the US's Arab partners

China is delivering “offensive” weapons as well as additional “defensive” arms to Iran, with the US on the cusp of launching an attack on the Islamic Republic, three officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.

One Arab official familiar with the deliveries described the offensive weapons as “small” systems. Another regional intelligence official said Beijing had sent loitering munitions, or Kamikaze drones, to the Islamic Republic.

MEE revealed exclusively in July that China had supplied surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran following the 12-day war that culminated in the US striking three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Reuters reported this week that China is in discussions with Iran to provide CM‑302 anti‑ship cruise missiles. The CM-302 is both ship and ground-launched with a range of about 290 kilometres. The weapon could target US vessels in the Arabian Sea or closer to Iran’s shoreline in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf.

The regional intelligence source told MEE that the two states are also in discussions over Iran purchasing China’s DF-17 hypersonic glide missile. Although Iran’s ballistic missiles have similar ranges, the DF-17 has better manoeuvrability, which can help it evade air defence systems.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/china-has-sent-attack-drones-iran-it-discusses-ballistic-missile-sales

...Iran paid China and Russia with oil shipments, so that will be a strong incentive for the two countries to supply them against the U.S. military attacks.

This is a classic proxy war which resembles the Vietnam folly which took the lives of over 58 thousand American troops, as well as between 1.5 and 3 million Vietnamese, including both civilians and military personnel (in response to Trump's assertion that he's liberating Iranians).