China says it is open to selling its J-10 fighter jets to “friendly countries,” fueling speculation that Iran could soon upgrade its aging air defenses in response to recent Israeli airstrikes, Newsweek reported. 

Following reports that Iranian defense officials are in talks to purchase China’s J-10C multi-role fighters, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said Beijing was willing to “share the achievements of its equipment development,” Newsweek reports. He did not confirm Iran’s involvement.

Israel’s April strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets exposed critical gaps in Iran’s mostly Russian-supplied defenses.

Now, analysts say Iran may look to China, whose jets performed well during recent Indo-Pakistani tensions.

China’s growing arms industry has drawn interest from nations such as Pakistan, the UAE, and Myanmar.

Meanwhile, an Israeli diplomat urged Beijing to pressure Iran to scale back its regional ambitions, amid fears of renewed conflict in the Middle East.

Read more at Newsweek.