Israel worried about China-Iran intelligence sharing

Former Chief of Israeli Army’s Military Intelligence, Amos Yadlin, yesterday voiced his concerns about possible intelligence sharing between China and Iran as a result of the latest strategic deal signed between the two countries, Israeli media reported.

“One of the most worrying clauses in the agreement between Iran and China is the intelligence sharing,” the current head of the Institute for National Security Studies told the Ynet News website.

Yadlin said that although the details of the agreement had not been made public yet, a former draft deal reported by the New York Times last year stated that both countries carry out joint training and exercises.

The old draft also stated that they would cooperate on research and weapons development, as well as the sharing of intelligence.

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“China is putting itself in a place that, until today, it had not been before,” Yadlin said.

“On a fundamental level, China opposes an Iranian nuclear bomb, but on the other hand, it is not helping to stop Iran… Iran, too, needs the political support which China has to stop the United States from pressuring it.”

At the same time, he stressed: “The Chinese understand that the Biden administration is not the Trump administration, and they can be much more aggressive.”

On Saturday, China and Iran signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – a 25-year long strategic agreement between the two countries to address economic issues in Iran amid crippling US sanctions imposed to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.