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Olivia Gazis
Olivia Gazis covers intelligence and international security matters for CBS News. Twice Emmy-nominated, she has traveled worldwide with the secretary of state and contributes reporting on intelligence, foreign policy and other security topics across CBS News broadcast, radio, online and streaming platforms.
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Sara Cook
Sara Cook is a White House producer and multi-platform reporter for CBS News. She has covered three presidential campaigns and the Obama, Biden, and Trump administrations.
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Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 10:58 PM EDT
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Washington — Days after the U.S.-Israel led war with Iran kicked off last month, American intelligence agencies detected signs that the war risked widening beyond the immediate battlefield as Russia and China sought to support Iran to blunt U.S.-Israeli military operations. Analysts at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's arm for military intelligence, assessed that China was weighing whether to provide Tehran with advanced radar systems, according to multiple U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The deliberations came amid separate reports that Russia had shared intelligence with Iran on American military positions across the Middle East. While Moscow's transfer of information to Tehran has been previously reported by CBS News, China's apparent willingness — early in the conflict and potentially over a protracted timeline — to assist Iran points to a broader, if informal, alignment among powers seeking to counterbalance U.S. ambitions in the region.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army shows its advanced land-to-air defense vehicles with missiles and sophisticated radar systems at "Airshow China 2014" at Zhuhai on Nov. 10, 2014.
Dickson Lee/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity to discuss national security issues, said Beijing had considered supplying Iran with X-band radar systems. This technology would significantly enhance Iran's ability to detect and track incoming threats, like low-flying drones and cruise missiles, and could help protect its air defense systems against advanced strikes. It remains unclear whether China ultimately moved forward with the transfer but the assessment underscores Washington's concern that the Iranian war is drawing in not only regional adversaries but also global competitors willing to provide critical support, short of direct military involvement, the officials said. The Defense Intelligence Agency has not responded to a request for comment. The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. The White House has not responded to a request for comment. On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used a spy s