Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes, prompting a surge of reactions on Chinese social media. At the same time, the Chinese navy did not appear at the planned “Maritime Security Belt 2026” joint exercise with Iran and Russia, despite earlier expectations that it would participate.
US-Israeli operation and confirmation of death
In the early hours of Feb. 28, 2026, U.S. forces and the Israeli military launched what officials described as “Operation Epic Fury,” striking multiple targets in Tehran.
According to U.S. and Israeli officials, Khamenei was meeting senior Iranian political and military figures at a secure location that morning. They described the strike as a decapitation operation targeting 40 senior officials, including Khamenei.
Shortly after midnight on March 1, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead!” He added that Khamenei “could not escape our highly precise intelligence and tracking systems.”
An Israeli senior official later said that a body recovered from the rubble had been identified as Khamenei.
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Iran initially maintained that the Supreme Leader was alive. After Trump’s announcement, however, Iranian state television confirmed his death. CCTV subsequently reported that, citing a source close to the Supreme Leader’s residence, Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were also confirmed dead.
Beijing publicly condemned the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. In recent years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has maintained close diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran, viewing Iran as a strategic partner in counterbalancing U.S. influence.
Chinese social media reaction
Following confirmation of Khamenei’s death, the comment sections under CCTV’s social media posts diverged sharply from the official line.
Numerous users posted celebratory messages. “Congratulations, universal celebration,” one comment read. Another wrote: “Best wishes to Iranian women compatriots on their liberation.” Several praised what they described as the precision of the strike. “To take the general’s head from among thousands—this is how war should be fought,” one user said.
Others contrasted the Iranian leadership with its people. “The privileged are crying because they will be held accountable. The people are happy because they are finally free,” one post read. Another comment suggested that “90 percent of Iranians must be secretly smiling,” particularly older generations.
Some users directed their remarks at Chinese authorities. “After Maduro and Khamenei, who is next?” one asked. Another wrote: “Hope the United States can also help the Chinese people get rid of the Chinese Communist Party.”
One widely shared comment argued that many Iranians may have hoped for Khamenei to step down but lacked a mechanism to compel change, adding that in a sovereign country, sovereignty should belong to the people rather than an individual leader.
Commentary linking events to China
U.S.-based commentator Fang Wei wrote on X that recent U.S. moves involving Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Greenland, and Panama were interconnected and ultimately related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He noted that Venezuela and Iran together account for roughly 20 percent of China’s oil imports, much of it purchased at discounted rates. Losing such supply, he argued, would increase China’s energy costs and affect manufacturing and military production.
Fang also pointed to U.S. expansion of domestic energy production, suggesting that shifts in global energy alignments could affect relative economic strength.
Another X user, Li Chengpeng, listed what he described as Khamenei’s record since assuming office on June 4, 1989. He cited the suppression of the 2009 “Green Movement,” arrests and alleged killings of protesters, imprisonment of opposition figures, restrictions on media and speech, strict enforcement of religious codes affecting women, and the Revolutionary Guard’s involvement in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Several Chinese users noted that June 4, 1989, is also the date of the Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing. Some referenced the numerical shorthand “8964,” commonly used online to denote that date. One wrote: “One of the two nightmares that began that day has ended.”
Missile reports and defense cooperation claims
On Feb. 24, The Times of Israel reported that Iran was close to reaching an agreement to purchase CM-302 anti-ship missiles from China. The report said the missile has a range of up to 290 kilometers and is capable of high-speed, low-altitude flight designed to complicate interception.
On Feb. 22, an X account identifying itself as “G-Translator (Secret Translation Group)” alleged that Beijing had expanded defense cooperation with Tehran, including sharing satellite data. The post claimed that China’s satellite network, consisting of more than 500 military and civilian satellites, provided data to Iranian command authorities, enabling monitoring of U.S. deployments in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf. The same account alleged that a Type 055 destroyer and a surveillance vessel, Wangwang 1, had been dispatched to the region.
These claims could not be independently verified.
‘Maritime Security Belt 2026’ proceeds without China
Since 2019, China, Russia, and Iran have conducted annual joint naval exercises under the name “Maritime Security Belt,” typically in waters including the northern Indian Ocean and the Strait of Hormuz. This year’s drill was expected to be designated “Maritime Security Belt 2026.”
In mid-February, as President Trump issued what he described as a final ultimatum to Iran and two U.S. carrier strike groups moved toward the Arabian Sea, Russian official Nikolai Patrushev said the exercise would soon take place in the Strait of Hormuz and described it as timely and significant.
China’s 48th escort task force—comprising the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, the Type 054A frigate Daqing, and the supply ship Taihu—was operating in the Gulf of Aden, within sailing distance of the expected exercise area. Iranian naval units had assembled, and Russia’s Baltic Fleet frigate Rezky was reported to be in position.
When the exercise formally began on February 19, however, no Chinese warships were observed at the site.
Agence France-Presse and Radio Free Asia subsequently reported that Beijing appeared not to have participated.
On Feb. 20, Xinhua covered the event under the headline “Iran and Russia Naval Joint Maritime Exercise Concludes.” The report did not mention Chinese participation and did not use the name “Maritime Security Belt 2026.”
U.S.-based commentator Jiang Feng described the absence as a last-minute withdrawal. He said that with U.S. forces on heightened alert in the region, participation in joint maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz could have exposed Chinese vessels to increased risk. According to Jiang, Beijing sought to avoid being drawn into direct military confrontation.
Chinese authorities have not publicly explained the navy’s absence from the drill.
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