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| Admiral Sun Jianguo (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
A senior Chinese admiral met with Iran’s defense minister in Tehran.
On October 15, deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Admiral Sun Jianguo, met with Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan in Tehran to discuss deepening military cooperation between the two countries Reuters reports.
“The aim of this delegation’s visit is to further promote friendship, deepen cooperation and exchange views with Iran on bilateral military ties and issues of mutual concern,” the Chinese admiral said. The visit will furthermore “promote the preservation of international and regional peace and stability,” he added.
According to China Military Online, Admiral Sun Jianguo also met with his Iranian counterpart, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Hassan Firouzabadi, discussing means to “deepen pragmatic cooperation in the military field and promote bilateral military relations to a higher level.”
China and Iran maintained close military-to-military contacts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Among other things, China helped Iran boost its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities by selling tactical ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles (e.g., HY-2 “Silkworm” anti-ship missiles), advanced anti-ship mines, and Houdong fast-attack boats (equipped with anti-ship missiles) to the Islamic Republic.
Read the full story at The Diplomat