US Officials Allege SMIC Supplied Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military

Two senior US officials publicly alleged that SMIC, China's largest chip manufacturer, had been supplying chipmaking equipment and technical training to Iran's military for approximately one year. The officials did not specify whether US-origin technology was involved, which would represent a direct sanctions violation. SMIC has been on the US Entity List since December 2020 following the Huawei Kirin chip controversy. If confirmed, the transfers could expose SMIC to secondary sanctions that restrict its global market access and third-country equipment imports. The allegations add a new dimension to the US-China chip war: the possibility that China's sanctioned semiconductor infrastructure is being retransferred to US adversaries.