How a Chinese-origin missile may have helped Iran down a US F-15E Strike Eagle | World

Last month, a F-15E Strike Eagle of the US military crashed in Iran after being shot down by the Iranian forces. The incident forced the Americans to launch an operation, dubbed ‘daring’ by President Donald Trump, to rescue the two crew members. 

The operation lasted for nearly two days before the pilot and the weapons system officer (WSO), who was a Colonel-rank officer, were rescued from the “treacherous mountains” of Iran, while they were being hunted by the Iranian forces. 

“My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel,” Trump had posted on his Truth Social.

A Chinese link in downing F-15?

Now, a report has emerged that there could be a Chinese link in the downing of the F-15 aircraft. Citing sources, NBC News reported that the Iranian forces had fired a Chinese-made shoulder-launched missile to shoot down the fighter jet.

The US officials continues to investigate the circumstances that led to the F-15’s downing, though. The NBC News further stated that China could have provided long-range early-warning radar to Iran that could have helped the Islamic Republic spot stealth aircraft such as F-35.

Notably, the report has come days after Trump visited China to discuss bilateral relations between Washington and Beijing. Earlier too, some reports had claimed that China was supplying weapons and intelligence to Iran but Trump in April had said that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had denied sending weapons to Iran.

“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,” the Republican leader had told Fox News in an interview.

China hopes for peace in Middle East

China has now said that it hopes that the US and Iran would meet each other halfway to finalise the peace treaty. In his remarks on May 26, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said every step forward in the negotiation “brings more hope to peace” and to the end the conflict that started on February 28.

“We hope that the parties concerned can stay committed to pursuing ​a ceasefire and continue to meet each ​other halfway, so that peace can return to the ‌Middle ⁠East as early as possible,” he had said. “As we ​have been ⁠saying, it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet ​of ice, and long-standing issues cannot ​be ⁠resolved overnight.”

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