US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified earlier in the House Appropriations Committee that while Iran possesses Chinese military equipment from previous ties, US has seen no evidence that Chinese assistance has influenced the battlefield or hindered US military operations.

Speaking before a House subcommittee, Rubio said the United States had not observed any Chinese support to Iran that had “changed the dynamic in the battlefield” or “in any way impeded our operations”.

His remarks come weeks after the US State Department imposed sanctions on three China-based entities accused of assisting Iran during its military confrontation with the US. According to the Trump administration, one of the sanctioned firms collected satellite imagery of US and allied military facilities to fulfil Iranian intelligence requests. A second company allegedly supplied satellite imagery directly to Iran during the conflict, while a third published open-source images detailing US military activity, according to WRAL news reports.

Despite the sanctions, Rubio maintained that Chinese involvement had not materially altered the course of military operations.

Rubio said there are signs that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is playing a more active role in the ongoing discussions. Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in the early days of the conflict and has not appeared in public since, is believed to be increasing his involvement behind the scenes.

“There are indications that he is becoming more engaged in the process at some level,” Rubio was quoted as saying by Times of Israel. “However, all communication attributed to him has so far been conveyed in writing and through intermediaries.”

The US Secretary also stressed on recent US diplomatic efforts in conflict zones around the world. Referring to the India-Pakistan military tensions earlier this year, Rubio claimed US played a role in facilitating de-escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

“We did a peace deal with Azerbaijan and Armenia. The second is India-Pakistan. We ended that war. We were involved in helping broker that,” Rubio told lawmakers, adding that the United States continues to engage in diplomacy globally and has achieved success in many cases.