China's biggest chipmaker provides chipmaking tools to Iran, US claims

ISTANBUL

China's biggest chipmaker, SMIC, sent chipmaking tools to Iran's military, according to two senior Trump administration officials, drawing attention to Beijing's role in the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran as the conflict enters its second month.

SMIC, which has been under US sanctions due to alleged ties to the Chinese military, began sending the tools to Iran nearly a year ago, the officials claimed, adding they have "no reason to believe that any of this has stopped." The tools, they said, may be used for any electronics that need chips.

The partnership "almost certainly included technical training on SMIC's semiconductor technology," according to the Economic Times.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss previously classified US government information, the officials did not specify whether the tools were of American origin.

Neither SMIC nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to requests for comment. The Chinese government maintains that it conducts normal commercial trade with Iran.

SMIC, placed on a US trade blacklist in 2020, limiting its access to American exports, has consistently rejected claims of links to China's military-industrial complex.