Iran is close to finalizing a deal with China to purchase advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, Reuters reported, citing six people familiar with the matter, at a time when the United States is deploying large naval forces off Iran’s coast amid rising tensions.The proposed deal involves the Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missile, which reportedly has a range of about 290 kilometers and is designed to evade ship-based defenses by flying quickly at low altitudes. Reuters quoted two weapons experts as saying the missiles would significantly enhance Iran’s ability to target naval assets in the region.
“If Iran had the capability to attack ships in the region at supersonic speeds, that would be a complete game-changer,” said Danny Sitrinovich, a former Israeli intelligence official who is now a senior Iran researcher at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “These missiles are very difficult to intercept.”Negotiations between Iran and China began at least two years ago but accelerated dramatically after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, according to the agency. Senior Iranian officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Masoud Aulaei, traveled to China last summer as negotiations entered their final stages, two security officials said. Oleoi’s visit had not been previously reported.The agency said it could not determine how many missiles were involved, the financial terms of the deal or whether China would proceed given rising regional tensions.“Iran has military and security agreements with its allies and now is the right time to take advantage of these agreements,” an Iranian foreign ministry official told Reuters.China’s mission to the United Nations reached out to Beijing’s foreign ministry, which did not respond to a request for comment. The White House also did not speak directly about the reported negotiations. However, a White House official said U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear that “either we make a deal or we’re going to have to take very tough measures like last time,” referring to the current standoff with Iran.The potential transfer would mark one of the most advanced weapons systems China has supplied to Iran and comes against the backdrop of an arms embargo first imposed by the United Nations in 2006, sanctions that were suspended in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal and reimposed last September.China, Iran and Russia hold annual joint naval exercises. Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned several Chinese entities for allegedly supplying chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile program. China denies the accusations and says it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.According to Reuters, the reported missile agreement will deepen military relations between Beijing and Tehran and further complicate U.S. efforts to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programs as U.S. forces gather in the region.
