(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hwa-seop = China's foundry company SMIC is supplying chip-making technology to the Iranian military, Reuters reported on the 26th (local time).
One of these sources cited in the Reuters article said SMIC started sending chipmaking equipment to Iran about a year ago, adding, "There is no reason to think that such support has been stopped."
He added that such cooperation "almost certainly included technical training in SMIC's semiconductor technology."
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to report, did not say whether the equipment was from the United States.
If it is US-made equipment, sending it to Iran could constitute a violation of the US government's sanctions against Iran.
Spokespeople for SMIC, the Chinese Embassy in the United States and Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately return Reuters requests for comment.
The Chinese government maintains its position that it is conducting normal commerce with Iran.
SMIC, which was placed on the list of export regulations in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, has denied allegations that it has ties to China's military-industrial complex, including the People's Liberation Army of China.
Since the start of the Middle East war due to a surprise attack on Iran by Israel and the United States on the 28th of last month, China has not openly sided with either side.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the parties this week to seize every opportunity to start peace talks as soon as possible.
Tensions between the U.S. and China are likely to rise further as senior U.S. government officials have raised suspicions that the SMIC has been supporting the Iranian military with semiconductor technology.
Last month, Reuters reported that Iran was on the verge of signing a deal to purchase anti-ship cruise missiles with China when the U.S. deployed a large naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of the Iranian attack.
It was not immediately clear what role SMIC's chipmaking equipment sent to Iran in the ongoing war played in Iran's response, Reuters said.
One of the U.S. officials who responded to the report said the equipment was provided to Iran's military-industrial complex and that the chip could be used for any electronic device that needs it.
The U.S. government has restricted China from obtaining advanced chipmaking equipment from major U.S. suppliers such as Ram Research, KLA and Applied Materials in a bid to curb China's advanced chipmaking capabilities through sanctions on Chinese chipmakers such as SMIC.
However, in August 2023, China's Huawei surprised the world by launching new smartphones such as the Mate 60 Pro with its own "Girin 9000s" chip despite strong U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. was confident that China would not be able to produce high-tech chips below 14 nanometers because of U.S. export regulations that would prevent it from obtaining ultraviolet (EUV) exposure equipment.
However, SMIC's technicians succeeded in implementing a 7-nano chip by devising a "multi-patterning" process that uses multiple layers of old equipment such as deep ultraviolet (DUV) exposure equipment, which symbolized a hole in the U.S. technology blockade.
As a result, the U.S. government has blocked additional exports of U.S.-made equipment and components to its Shanghai-based SMIC plant since early 2024, further strengthening the pressure.
limhwasop@yna.co.kr
Lim Hwa-seop (solatido@yna.co.kr )
“Trump’s indecisive foreign policy seems incapable of achieving any real success.
Meanwhile, China and Russia are profiting immensely from the war with Iran.
Trump appears focused only on his personal and political interests—
a course that could spell disaster for both the United States and the world.”