Iran is close to finalising a deal with China to purchase advanced anti-ship cruise missiles, Reuters reported, citing six people with knowledge of the negotiations, at a time when the United States is deploying significant naval forces near the Iranian coast amid escalating tensions.The proposed deal involves the Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missiles, which have a reported range of about 290 km and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Two weapons experts cited by Reuters said that the missiles would significantly boost Iran’s ability to target naval assets in the region.“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.”According to the agency, negotiations between Iran and China began at least two years ago but accelerated sharply after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June. As talks entered their final stages last summer, senior Iranian officials, including deputy defence minister Massoud Oraei, travelled to China, two security officials said. Oraei’s visit has 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 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.”The Chinese delegation to the United Nations referred to Beijing’s foreign ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment. The White House also 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.The potential transfer would mark one of the most advanced weapons systems supplied by China to Iran and comes against the backdrop of sanctions first imposed under a United Nations arms embargo in 2006, suspended in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal, and reimposed last September.China, Iran and Russia conduct annual 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. China rejected those allegations, saying it strictly enforces export controls on dual-use products.The reported missile deal would deepen military ties between Beijing and Tehran, further complicating US efforts to curb Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes as American forces gather in the region, Reuters said.
