Iran may have used a Chinese-made shoulder-launched missile to shoot down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet over southwestern Iran last month, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News, News.Az reports.

The incident triggered a high-risk rescue mission after the aircraft was brought down during the early stages of the conflict.

According to one of the sources and a U.S. official familiar with the situation, China may also have supplied Iran with a long-range early-warning radar system capable of detecting stealth aircraft designed to avoid radar tracking.

U.S. officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the downing of the American F-15E Strike Eagle in April, the sources said. The incident marked the first time in decades that a U.S. fighter jet had been shot down by enemy fire.

It’s not clear when the military equipment was handed over. But Iran’s use of weapons made in China complicates Americans’ relationship with Beijing at a time when President Donald Trump has sought China’s help in ending the conflict. Negotiations to end the war are ongoing even as the U.S. continues to launch what it calls “defensive” strikes.

The Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran ahead of a crucial meeting with President Xi Jinping earlier this month. As the primary customer for Iran’s oil exports, China’s leaders have said the war must come to an end.

“We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News during the China trip. “They’ve got to get involved in this as well.”

But Rubio said Trump is not relying on Xi, insisting, “We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help.”

At the time the plane was downed last month, Trump said it was struck by a shoulder-launched missile. About 7 feet long and weighing 40 pounds, the weapons, also known as “man-portable air defense weapons,” or “Manpads,” provide an inexpensive, effective way to take down low-flying aircraft.

The two-man crew of the F-15 jet safely ejected from the aircraft over Iran. The pilot was rescued within seven hours, but it took two days to locate and rescue the weapons systems officer, who hid in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, according to the Pentagon.

The White House referred NBC News to comments the president made in a Fox News interview, in which he said Xi had assured him that China would not provide military equipment to Iran, and to remarks he made to reporters at the White House last week, where he said: “President Xi has promised me that he’s not sending any weapons to Iran. That’s a beautiful promise. I take him at his word. I appreciated it.”

Asked about the shootdown of the F-15, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said in a statement: “China always acts prudently and responsibly on the export of military products, and exercises strict control in accordance with China’s laws and regulations on export control and due international obligations. China opposes groundless smear and ill-intentioned association.”

U.S. intelligence reporting suggests China was planning to provide new air defense weaponry to Iran in coming weeks, NBC News reported previously. U.S. officials may have leaked the intelligence in a possible bid to expose China’s plans, according to former national security officials, a tactic used by previous administrations.

It’s not clear if the shoulder-launched missile that likely brought down the F-15 was delivered to Iran recently or if it was taken from stockpiles of weapons that were shipped to Iran years ago, the sources said. It’s also unclear whether the radar, known as a YLC-8B, was fielded during the war.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev