Red cargo mystery: 3 Chinese Boeing 747s vanished near Iran and no one knows what they carried

Three massive cargo jets departed China in quick succession just days after Israel’s strike on Iran and then vanished near Iranian airspace, triggering fears of secret Chinese arms transfers to Tehran.

The Boeing 747 freighters, known for hauling heavy military gear under government contracts, lifted off from various Chinese cities, including Shanghai, over three consecutive days. Each followed a near-identical westward route over northern China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan — before disappearing from radar as they approached Iran, The Telegraph reported.

What’s fueling suspicions is their listed destination: Luxembourg. Yet none were spotted anywhere near Europe, flight data shows.

“These cargos cannot but generate a lot of interest,” Andrea Ghiselli, a China-MENA relations expert at the University of Exeter was quoted as saying in a Telegraph report.

He noted growing expectations that Beijing could step in to support Iran as tensions rise across the region.

The stakes are high. Iran, a key oil supplier to China with nearly 2 million barrels a day flowing east, is a strategic partner in Beijing’s push against the US-led world order. Supporting Iran’s regime, analysts suggest, may be a way for China to preserve its energy lifeline and maintain influence in the volatile Middle East.

“The collapse of the current regime would be a significant blow,” Ghiselli warned, citing the economic and geopolitical shockwaves it could send through the region and into China’s core interests.

Still, no direct evidence has confirmed the nature of the flights’ cargo. Independent inspections would be needed to verify whether the aircraft were carrying weapons, aid, or other materials. Publicly available flight logs only add to the mystery, with similar routes repeatedly terminating near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.

The flights’ disappearance and strategic timing have amplified concerns about a deepening axis between Tehran and Beijing — one that may soon challenge not just regional stability, but global balance.