Inside Story: After Khamenei’s Assassination, Beijing Orders Emergency Destruction of Sensitive Files

After Khamenei’s Assassination, Beijing Orders Emergency Destruction of Sensitive Files

[People News] After Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by U.S.–Israeli forces, the people most anxious may not have been in Tehran but in Beijing. According to newly disclosed inside information reported by Liberty Times, Beijing issued an extremely rare and urgent order immediately after Khamenei’s death: instructing its embassy in Iran to destroy all sensitive materials at once.

According to intelligence reportedly shared between international and Taiwanese sources, the materials ordered to be destroyed included military sales agreements between China and Iran, assistance programs, and even confidential data related to oil purchases. Among them was the China–Iran Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement, and detailed implementation plans for the agreement were also ordered to be eliminated.

Why did Beijing appear so caught off guard this time? According to the report, Beijing had originally assessed that Khamenei would first flee to Russia for refuge. It had not anticipated that President Trump would directly order a decapitation strike.

A batch of Chinese-made “supersonic anti-ship missiles” had reportedly been scheduled for delivery to Iran in early March. Trump’s decision to strike at that moment has been interpreted as a sign that the United States had fully grasped Beijing’s military arrangements.

Beijing’s public explanation was that it feared the United States or Israel might incite mobs to storm the embassy. However, observers believe Beijing was more concerned that these documents could fall into U.S. hands and serve as evidence of China violating restrictions and intervening in Middle Eastern conflicts.

At the same time, reports suggest that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held an urgent phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Behind closed doors, the two reportedly discussed ways to help Iran maintain “long-term resistance.”

According to the report, Russia would provide shoulder-fired weapons, while China would ensure a steady supply of drone components to Iran and provide satellite positioning, command-and-control support, and targeting guidance. In other words, while China and Russia publicly call for a ceasefire, they are allegedly working privately to reinforce a strategic front opposing the United States. △