Iran is close to finalising a deal with China to acquire advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, Reuters reported, citing six people familiar with the discussions, as the United States increases its naval presence near Iranian waters amid escalating tensions.
The proposed agreement centres on the Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missiles, which reportedly have a range of around 290 kilometres. Designed to fly low and fast to evade shipborne defence systems, the missiles could substantially enhance Iran’s maritime strike capabilities, according to two weapons experts quoted by Reuters.
“It’s a complete gamechanger if Iran has supersonic capability to attack ships in the area,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer and now senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “These missiles are very difficult to intercept.”
Negotiations between Tehran and Beijing began at least two years ago but gained momentum after a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June, the report said. As talks progressed last summer, senior Iranian officials — including deputy defence minister Massoud Oraei — travelled to China, according to two security officials cited by Reuters. Oraei’s visit has not been previously reported.
Reuters said it was unable to confirm the number of missiles under discussion, the financial details of the potential deal, or whether China would move ahead given heightened regional tensions.
An Iranian foreign ministry official told Reuters: “Iran has military and security agreements with its allies, and now is an appropriate time to make use of these agreements.”
China’s delegation to the United Nations referred queries to Beijing’s foreign ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment, the report said.
The White House did not directly address the reported negotiations. However, a White House official said US President Donald Trump has been clear that “either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” referring to the current standoff with Iran.
If completed, the transfer would represent one of the most advanced weapons systems supplied by China to Iran. The development comes against the backdrop of sanctions first imposed under a United Nations arms embargo in 2006, suspended in 2015 under the nuclear deal, and reimposed last September.
China, Iran and Russia regularly hold joint naval exercises. Last year, the US Treasury sanctioned several Chinese entities for allegedly supplying chemical precursors to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for use in its ballistic missile programme. Beijing denied the allegations, stating it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use items.
The reported missile deal would further strengthen military ties between Beijing and Tehran, potentially complicating US efforts to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes as American forces continue to deploy assets in the region, Reuters said.
