Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, made his first visit to China, just a day after the ceasefire deal with Israel.
Photos of Nasirzadeh sitting inside the cockpit of a J-10CE fighter jet circulated on social media platforms, creating speculation that Iran might be considering procuring the Chinese aircraft to strengthen its aerial combat capabilities.
The reports emerged after Iran seemingly failed to counter the Israeli Air Force during the 12-day war. Tel Aviv claimed its fighter jets flew over Iranian airspace without encountering any resistance.
Israel reportedly struck Iran’s critical military infrastructure, including radar systems and air defence networks.
Notably, most of Iran’s fighter jets are decades old and obsolete.
Tehran has three variants of the F-4 Phantom II fighter jets -- 63 of them. It also has forty one F14s -- across two variants, and thirty five F-5Es.
Iran defence forces also have MiG-29As, and Mirage F1s, in addition to various other Chinese and Russian legacy aircraft.
In addition to foreign aircraft, Tehran operates smaller numbers of domestically built jets such as the Kowsar, Azarakhsh, and Saeqeh, along with various trainer aircraft like the Russian Yak-130.
But without foreign support for over 40 years, Iran's aging fleet is now vulnerable, especially after US and Israeli air forces have successfully targeted strategic sites in Iran.
Iran was preparing to upgrade its air defence capabilities, even before the recent conflict.
Between 2023 and 2024, there were various reports of Iran signing a deal with Russia to buy Su-35s.
But the delivery of the jets was delayed, probably due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia did not even step in to reinforce Iran's defence during the US strike on its nuclear sites.
President Vladimir Putin clarified that Russia had no security pact with Iran. He claimed proposals for joint air defence projects were also rejected by Tehran.
Now, Iran has turned to another global power for assistance.
The Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon is a medium-weight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft made in China.
With a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, the J-10 is designed for air-to-air combat, but can also perform strike missions.
The Pakistan Air Force deployed the J-10CE variant during the India–Pakistan conflict in May 2025, and reportedly shot down French-made Rafale jets.
Acquisition of Chinese J-10s would significantly improve Iran's air combat capabilities, and enable the Islamic Republic to counter potential attack by the Israeli Air Force.
Israel’s refuelling aircraft could become easy targets for Iran—remember that Israel requires aerial tankers to refuel its strike aircraft enroute to Iranian targets.
Even though Israel holds a technological edge, Iran could dilute its striking capabilities with advanced fighter jets like the Chinese J-10s or the Russian Su-35s.
But, even if Tehran secures the deal with China, experts suggest it still faces a steep challenge in modernising the country's infrastructure to accommodate advanced fighters.
