With the US-Iran war looming, a Boeing-747 returning from China to Tehran has caused anxiety in the White House!
In early January 2026, the US "Lincoln" aircraft carrier battle group completed its final deployment before the strike, and the Pentagon's internal strike plan was in the final approval stage. At the same time, a Iranian Boeing-747 cargo plane with registration number EP-MME quietly took off from an eastern airport in China, heading directly to Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran.
This flight itself is not unusual—there has been long-term air freight between China and Iran; however, at this highly sensitive time, its appearance immediately caught Washington's attention as a strategic signal that needed re-evaluation.
Flight registration information shows it belongs to Iran's Mahan Air, and the flight plan was declared as "ordinary commercial transport," but the specific loading and unloading content during its stay in China was not disclosed. Notably, this model has a maximum load capacity of over 100 tons, and its range can cover Beijing to Tehran without refueling, capable of transporting large amounts of high-value or sensitive materials in one go.
The flight departed on the night of January 29th and arrived in Tehran early on the morning of January 30th, almost simultaneously with the exposure of the White House leaked internal assessment report titled "First Wave Strike Destroying 90 Strategic Targets in Iran." Although China has always emphasized its policy towards Iran as "non-alliance, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of third parties," any frequent interaction between non-Western countries and Iran just before the U.S. military action would be interpreted as a potential variable.
The U.S. originally hoped to use extreme pressure to force Iran back to the negotiation table, but if Tehran received external technological or material support, its resistance will likely strengthen, thereby prolonging the conflict and increasing the cost of U.S. operations. Especially considering that Iran possesses the "Shahab-3" ballistic missile with a range of 2000 kilometers and the hypersonic weapon "Fateh-1," once the war begins, dozens of U.S. bases in the Middle East would be exposed to attack ranges.
Dage said, the White House seems a bit nervous. The Boeing-747 flying from China to Tehran may just be a normal part of trade. However, on the chessboard at the edge of war, every seemingly ordinary move might be seen by the opponent as hiding a hidden threat.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855813422468099/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.