Cisco splits with ZTE over Iran trade deal claims
Reports latest in string of concerns over behaviour of Chinese company.
Networking equipment manufacturer Cisco has terminated its partnership with Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE. According to Reuters, the move was prompted by revelations that the Shenzhen-based company has sold Cisco branded products to Iran. The news comes hot on the heels of announcement that the company could be shut out of the US market due to security fears.
It has been alleged that the Chinese firm has been selling computer equipment developed by Cisco and other US-based companies to Iran's telecoms companies. Such sales are subject to trade restrictions or, in some cases, banned.
The allegations have been made following investigations by the FBI, US Commerce department and the American companies themselves, which reportedly uncovered the sales. It is also claimed that the ZTE may have shredded documents in an effort to cover its tracks.
ZTE spokesman David Dai Shu said: "ZTE is highly concerned with the matter and is communicating with Cisco. At the same time, ZTE is actively cooperating with the US government about the probe into Iran. We believe it will be properly addressed."
IT Pro contacted Cisco, however the company declined to comment on the claims.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2026 report - the leading resource for IT decision-maker insight on priorities and investment areas in AI, security and more.
-
The identity recovery gap: confident on paper, exposed in practiceAI-accelerated attacks weaponize the IAM ecosystem, moving faster than defenders can respond — making identity recoverability a top priority in restoring data and AI trust.
-
Dynatrace acquires observability firm Arize in $915m dealNews The move will see Arize’s AI evaluation capabilities combined with Dynatrace’s production monitoring technology across the AI development lifecycle
-
Cisco just launched two cyber-focused small language models: Antares-350M and Antares-1B aim to supercharge codebase analysis – and they run at a “fraction of the compute expense” of popular frontier modelsNews The Antares models unveiled by Cisco aim to cut costs in codebase analysis
-
CISOs are keen on agentic AI, but they’re not going all-in yetNews Many security leaders face acute talent shortages and are looking to upskill workers
-
Security agencies issue warning over critical Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vulnerabilityNews Threat actors have been exploiting the vulnerability to achieve root access since 2023
-
AI is “forcing a fundamental shift” in data privacy and governanceNews Organizations are working to define and establish the governance structures they need to manage AI responsibly at scale – and budgets are going up
-
Cisco says Chinese hackers are exploiting an unpatched AsyncOS zero-day flaw – here's what we know so farNews The zero-day vulnerability affects Cisco's Secure Email Gateway and Secure Email and Web Manager appliances – here's what we know so far.
-
Researchers claim Salt Typhoon masterminds learned their trade at Cisco Network AcademyNews The Salt Typhoon hacker group has targeted telecoms operators and US National Guard networks in recent years
-
Cisco ASA customers urged to take immediate action as NCSC, CISA issue critical vulnerability warningsNews Cisco customers are urged to upgrade and secure systems immediately
-
Cisco eyes network security gains for agentic AINews New network security updates aim to secure AI agents across enterprises