Fault Lines Episode 587: Satellites, Drones, and Deniability: China’s Hand in Iran

Today, Morgan, Les, Matt, and John examine China's deepening covert support for Iran, even as Beijing publicly positions itself as a neutral actor. Chinese satellite companies have entered business relationships with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and China is providing intelligence, drones, and missiles that directly enable Iranian-backed threats — while the United States has seized a ship delivering Chinese goods to Iran. What does China's satellite and intelligence support for the IRGC reveal about the true nature of Sino-Iranian ties? If China is so dependent on Iranian oil, why would it risk the destabilization a Strait of Hormuz closure would cause? How will Xi's domestic vulnerabilities — military purges, a weakening economy, and ambitions for a fourth term — shape his calculus heading into talks with Trump? Check out the answers to these questions and more in this episode of Fault Lines. @morganlroach @lestermunson @johnclipsey @wmatthayden Like what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and

You can listen to Fault Lines Episode 587: Satellites, Drones, and Deniability: China’s Hand in Iran online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Fault Lines Episode 587: Satellites, Drones, and Deniability: China’s Hand in Iran is an episode from Fault Lines by National Security Institute.

This episode is 11:05 long.

This episode was published on Apr 24, 2026.

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