How China Supplies Iran's Military — And What the U.S. Can Do About It | The Trade Off

As Trump and Xi meet in Beijing, one under-covered dynamic looms large: China's role as Iran's most important economic lifeline. In this episode of The Tradeoffs, CSIS Scholl Chair Dr. Philip Luck sits down with Senior Fellow Kate Koren and Kevin Kurland — former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce — to break down how China supplies roughly 30% of Iranian imports, including dual-use goods, machine tools, and military-critical components, and what leverage that gives Beijing in the current standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.