Top Chinese chipmaker alleged to supply to IranReutersSemiconductor 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 Chinese government maintains that it carries out normal commercial trade with Iran. 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. 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.

Source: Taipei Times March 27, 2026 16:15 UTC