Illustrative image. (Tasnim News Agency)
President Donald Trump on April 29 said that the United States knows where Iran has deployed new military equipment during the ongoing ceasefire, and will destroy it quickly should war resume.
“They may have brought in some light stuff during the ceasefire, and we know exactly where it is, so it will be knocked out within the first 15 minutes,” Trump told reporters.
Trump also said that Iran has moved closer to Washington’s position in talks, but has still not gone far enough with regard to the nuclear file.
“They’ve come a long way. The question is whether or not they’re going to go far enough. At this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons,” he said.
He went on to claim that talks with Iran are ongoing, while not specifying if they’re being held through mediators, as is assumed to be the case. He also argued again that it is not necessary for his negotiators to fly all the way to mediating Pakistan in order to hold talks that can be conducted over the phone.
Trump’s claim that Iran received new weapons amid the ceasefire is not surprising. Shortly after the ceasefire entered into effect, CNN reported, citing U.S. intelligence assessments, that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within weeks.
Two sources with knowledge on the assessment told the network that the systems China is preparing to transfer to Iran are man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). Nevertheless, the sources noted Chinese efforts to route the shipments through third countries to mask their true origin.
Later when the U.S. military seized the cargo ship TOUSKA in line with its blockade on Iranian port, Trump hinted that the vessel was carrying weapons.
The ship had “a gift from China” which “wasn’t very nice,” Trump told CNBC at the time. “I was a little surprised,” he added, saying that he thought he had an “understanding” with China’s President Xi Jinping.
What Trump referred to as “light stuff” in his latest remarks could very well be MANPADS. The Iranian had notable success in using such systems during the war.
Days before the ceasefire entered into effect, MANPADS were reportedly used to shoot down an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet then an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jet of the United States Air Force over Iran.
While shipping new weapons to Iran via the sea is currently not an option, doing so is still possible with ease. For China, for example, weapons like MANPAD could simply be shipped by land, through Afghanistan. The Taliban have been very vocal about their support for the Islamic Republic since the start of the war.
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